Shaun O’Hara had just arrived at Giants Stadium for practice Thursday morning when a teammate said he had seen an item about Gene Upshaw’s death on television.

“I thought it had to be a hoax because it was all of a sudden,” said the New York Giants center, who is also the team’s union representative. “I tried to search online and find some more information. When I discovered it was true, it was very sad to hear.”

It was the same for most of the 2,400 players on NFL rosters as well as for owners, coaches, league officials and team administrators. It wasn’t just the fact ...

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