Dave, thank you for doing this. From our conversations, I have a sense of how much time you spent on this. I believe your aim was true and your heart was pure. As I read this, I am both angry and sad. Sad for what happened to my friend. Angry that I only knew of her condition after she had passed, when it was too late…

A couple of years ago, I was on an online forum (out of respect for Jennifer it shall remain nameless) and received a note from a woman who sounded both witty and desperate. It was really sad. And then, out of nowhere, she sent me a note outing herself as Jennifer Frey. She referenced her time as a WaPo sports…

This story kicked me in the gut. My mother was an alcoholic, and I struggled with opiate addiction for years. Addiction isn’t a lifestyle you choose. Sobriety isn’t easy, nor is it a wagon to which you strap yourself. Functional addicts are the most at risk because, until they crash and burn, no one has any idea of…

Change the name and profession and you have my father’s story. It’s heartbreaking.

my wife has been sober for 7 years tomorrow. feels like this cropped up just to remind me how different things could have been for us. booze addiction is brutal. as are the rest.

No snark: Thank you for this piece. Masterfully reported, incredibly well-written, utterly important.

Thank you so very much for this piece. It was a hell of a gut-wrench, especially since you make it clear at the story’s start just how things would end. Butt everything about your approach served to drive home the overwhelming senses of wonder and loss. Wonder, at Frey’s absolute brilliance, both in the stories she…

Thanks for writing this. I was a daily reader of the Post back then and the writing staff in the Sports section was amazing. And even at that Jennifer stood out. I had no idea her life had turned like this. To me, she was just a great writer in a stable of great writers, at a paper that, at the time seemed to have a…

Damn, this brought back memories of a friend/coworker I had years ago. Very similar story—super-bright, charming, funny, hard-working, beautiful woman. Drank herself to death at 31. Thanks for the excellent story, Dave.

This is so heartbreaking in so many ways. It reminds me what an absolute blessing the gift of sobriety is.

Thanks, Mr. McKenna, and thanks Deadspin, for this piece. This is what journalism aspires to do: Capture a slice of humanity in great detail so that we can reflect on our world, our culture, and our lives.

Damn you McKenna. Great piece, and I am glad my office has a door. Hits way too close to home. This disease is insidious. I hope for peace and happiness for her daughter. 

Excellent work on a sad story.

Goddamn, this is both outstanding and tragic.

Goddammit McKenna, you are a great fucking writer. I’m so sorry about your colleague.

Sad story, and really hammers home how devastating the effects of alcohol can be, as well as the psychological grip it can have on the individual. Thank you for writing this Dave. Having seen firsthand some of the damage alcohol visits upon not only the user, but families, I wonder why the outcry over tobacco is as…

Thank you for writing this.

What a well written article about a truly tragic story. Thanks for this.

Having just spent last week at the hospital detoxing my dad, this is a depressing read. I’d like to think he might actually stop drinking this time, but it is so unlikely.

It’s not about being right, man, it’s about being part of a Moment. It’s, like, so limiting to only see what’s there.