Andy Olson was set to return to Spokane on Thursday and will be with the team for the final game of the season on Saturday (Photo: SWX)SPOKANE VALLEY, Wash. -
Football is probably the last thing on Shock coach Andy Olson's mind right now. And rightly so.
Olson missed Wednesday's practice so he could be with his wife's family on the west side of the state, after his brother-in-law was shot and killed over the weekend.
Coach Olson will return to Spokane on Thursday to be with the team for the rest of the week leading up to Saturday's finale against Tampa Bay. The team – from the assistant coaches to the players – are supporting Olson and his family.
"He definitely needed to be there for his wife and her family," said Shock general manager Ryan Rigmaiden. "We've got a fairly veteran coaching staff in somebody like coach [Travis] Crusenberry, and he ran practice today and did a great job."
"It's a tough situation, so for that to be so close to home for him, we just had to let him know that we got his back, we're supporting him and do whatever you need to do and we'll take care of things here," said defensive back Terrance Sanders. "When we get back together we'll make it all happen on Saturday."
The Shock play in their final game of the season Saturday against the Tampa Bay Storm. The game, at 7 p.m. can be seen live on SWX, SWXRightNow.com and on mobile devices through the Syncbak app.
Tragedy Hits Home
Andy Olson's brother-in-law, Ryan Mumm, was shot Saturday night at a park in Arlington. He died the next day. The Everett Herald reported the case is being treated as a homicide.
The Spokesman-Review reported Wednesday that Mumm, 20, had graduated high school and had moved to Spokane to attend Spokane Community College.
