A Season of Triumph and Trial
Rookie Fights to Stay on Redskins, Tend to Son's Needs

By Jason La Canfora
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Each sound elicits more of a response from the baby's father. As Reed Doughty holds his son, cupping the baby's head in his right hand, he savors every coo and utterance.

The four months of Micah's life have been a struggle. Born nearly six weeks prematurely, the baby is battling chronic kidney failure and for the Washington Redskins' rookie safety, an afternoon spent bonding with his son after practice is particularly special. Doughty's wife, Katie, his high school sweetheart whom he married five years ago, sits beside him on the couch and the tall Christmas tree glitters behind them. The attractive couple and their baby make a perfect Hallmark moment, yet Micah's troubles are not entirely behind him.

He is gaining weight but will need a kidney transplant at some point, and could begin dialysis next month. Katie, a nurse, administers three injections each week, and doses of medicine are a daily requisite. Micah undergoes lab tests every two weeks, with frequent trips from Ashburn to consult specialists at Children's Hospital in Northwest Washington.

In addition to care and love, the Doughtys offer all the security they can. As a sixth-round pick from Northern Colorado, Doughty, 24, knows there are no assurances about his playing future beyond this season -- and that he defied the odds by even reaching this point. Being a part of an NFL team, even when he was inactive, marked a significant accomplishment, one tempered by Micah's struggles.

"My son still needs a kidney transplant and he'll probably start dialysis pretty soon, so it's serious," Doughty said. "His life isn't in balance right now so that sucks and I feel bad for him, but sometimes that's the way things go and he's doing fine and he'll be great. He's gaining weight and all that stuff. We just trust God. Whatever happens to my son is for the best, and he's doing great."

Still, life has been a whirlwind for Doughty since he moved to the area this summer.

Constant Care

Micah was born Aug. 30 in Colorado, right as Doughty was fighting to make the team. Doughty missed the Aug. 31 preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens to be with his wife and child for a short visit. Several weeks passed before Katie and Micah could join him in this area, and when Doughty returned to Redskins Park, he was informed he had been fined $14,000 for coming into contact with an official during a preseason game.

His career was in jeopardy, fears about his son, his wife and the mounting medical bills were inescapable, and suddenly a large portion of his $80,000 signing bonus had vanished. Doughty was lonely in a strange city, overwhelmed at times by the NFL, and, more than anything else, fretful about his son's condition. He returned to a sparsely furnished townhouse a few miles from Redskins Park hoping everything was going as well as could be expected, trying to remain optimistic that he would stick with the Redskins and earn his non-guaranteed base salary this season of $275,000.

"My son was born and he was sick and the next day when I got back there was something in my locker from the third preseason game saying I had been fined," said Doughty, who appealed the suspension but has not heard whether any of the fine will be repealed. "I just know I didn't get paid for a few weeks, and that wasn't cool."

When Katie and Micah were able to travel to the area, Doughty began feeling whole again, but watching his child suffer is painful.

Micah visits the doctor every two weeks, and takes seven medications in an attempt to keep his kidneys functioning (they were working at about 20 percent at birth). Three to four times a day he takes one substance or another -- iron, sodium, potassium, electrolytes. Given his condition, he is susceptible to illness. Watching Katie administer shots -- and the infant's inevitable reaction -- tears at Doughty's heart, and the battery of medicine, much of it sprayed into the nipples of Micah's bottles, can be daunting.

"The meds get old, it does," Doughty said recently at their home, with Ansel Adams prints that remind him and his wife of their rural Colorado roots hanging behind them in their living room. "He's sleeping great now and my wife will wake me up at six because he needs to have his meds and he's sleeping and why would we want to get him up when he's sleeping? But we have to do it and he's not a big fan of a lot of the stuff. His throat will be sore and he'll have to take salt water. I mean the iron tastes like metal and the sodium he just hates. So obviously, it's hard, but my wife has been awesome. She takes care of so much stuff."

Micah goes back to the doctors tomorrow for what could be an important visit. His enzymes and kidney function will be reviewed again to determine if dialysis must begin shortly. The baby appears healthy, as active as any newborn, and was 20 1/2 inches at birth despite his premature arrival. He weighs 14 pounds, and must weigh 25 -- the weight of an average 24-month-old -- before a transplant can be performed.

"If the levels haven't improved enough, then the doctor says we'll probably start dialysis in January," Katie Doughty said. "We're hoping he's progressing and we can put that off. He's growing great and putting on a lot of weight and eating a lot. Babies with kidney failure have a hard time growing, but he's doing really well."

Katie Doughty was a cardiac nurse before Reed was drafted and Micah was born. Her medical training is being put to use in ways she never imagined, and many early mornings are spent commuting to doctors' offices with Micah. She was able to attend only one game, Oct. 1 against Jacksonville (Reed was inactive), because of child-care responsibilities, and has done little in the area beyond the occasional dinner out in Leesburg.

She makes constant trips to local pharmacies -- Micah's prescription for his three-times-weekly shots must be filled individually -- and relies on the wives of players and coaches for support. The wife of receivers coach Stan Hixon visited her in the hospital and the wife of punter Derrick Frost has accompanied her on trips to the hospital with Micah.

"Everyone in [the Redskins'] Bible study has been so great," Katie Doughty said. "We've met so many good people there."

Much at Stake

The Redskins have accommodated Doughty in every way possible. He has been excused from meetings for doctor visits. A quick study and hard worker, he has become a favorite of many coaches.

"It was kind of scary for all of us at first, because the baby was so premature," Coach Joe Gibbs said. "But [now] the baby looks great and Reed takes time when he needs to and he's done all he could for us. And this past week he took a big step up. Sometimes it takes rookies a little while to catch on and he's really conscientious -- you won't get anybody more conscientious than he is -- and now he's making some plays for us."

Still, Doughty worries about his future. He was not seriously recruited by Division I schools because he was considered too small and too slow and is the rare youngster in the Redskins' experienced secondary. Doughty has played sparingly in the regular defense, was inactive for six straight games (including three straight last month), and realizes nothing is guaranteed beyond this season.

If he is cut in the offseason, NFL Players Association medical insurance would run until September, and the additional $13,000 he can make in offseason workouts and training camp would lessen the need to get an additional job. Had Katie not had health insurance when Micah was born, Doughty said his son's preexisting condition would not have been covered by insurance.

Obviously, there is much at stake when Doughty takes the field or enters a meeting room. He accepts each game as a challenge to show he belongs in the NFL, and has impressed coaches with his strong knowledge of offense, defense and special teams (he is a coach's son), and ability to adjust to an opponent.

"I have to try to make a good statement for myself and always play well," Doughty said. "If I got cut, I'm not sure what we'd do. We might have to get on [Medicaid] or something and it's so expensive without health insurance. We're really not trying to take that route."

When the Redskins signed veteran safety Troy Vincent in October, Doughty knew that was a signal to improve his play. He knew the team did not see him as someone who could help the defense in the short term, and is hoping his strong special teams play will help sway the team. Doughty is beginning to adjust to the pace and intricacies of the pro game, is involved in all aspects of special teams play and delivered a crushing blow on a return last week in New Orleans.

Like so much else in his life, what occurs in the coming months will be beyond Doughty's control. He plans to immerse himself in offseason workouts and spend as much time at Redskins Park and with his family as possible. The Redskins might opt for pricey free agents to add depth in the secondary, and with Micah, all Doughty can do is provide constant care and pray.

Football remains something of an escape, and lately Doughty's play has been impressive. He helped force a fumble against Philadelphia, received national attention for a huge hit against New Orleans and delivered another big blow on special teams in Sunday's loss at St. Louis.

"He really has grown tremendously here from about midseason on," said Gregg Williams, assistant head coach-defense. "Last week he took a huge step in the plays he made on special teams, but really for about four to five weeks prior to that he was making significant progress there and defensively he's been making significant progress and he had a tremendous week of practice.

"[Thursday] I was walking off the field talking to Coach Gibbs about how well he's practiced in all areas -- special teams and defensively. The game has started to slow down a little bit [for him]. You can present everything that's going to happen to them through that first season, but they've got to go through some of those things and it looks like the game is starting to slow down a little bit for him because we're starting to see some of the skills that we saw in college. He's playing more free right now."