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25 years after 9/11, Strahan, Testaverde, others relive the emotional memories

Twenty-five years after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, members of the football community are looking back on the disaster and its aftermath. Over a dozen figures—encompassing players, coaching staff, franchise personnel, an NFL administrator, and a fan whose devotion to the New York Giants spared him from harm—recounted their experiences during the twelve-day stretch before competition restarted on September 23.

Both local franchises had close brushes with the devastation: the New York Jets were practicing a mere twenty miles away, while the Giants landed at Newark Airport on a red-eye flight following a defeat in Denver, exiting through the United Airlines terminal just an hour and a half prior to the initial strike and shortly ahead of Flight 93's departure.

Key executives were deeply touched by the morning's four plane crashes across Manhattan, the Pentagon, and Shanksville. Giants executive Chris Mara reflected on mourning four personal companions, while former general manager Ernie Accorsi contributed his perspective on how the organization confronted the national tragedy.