The Dolphins suddenly lost Jason Jenkins on Saturday. He was only 47. The team then had to find a way to play a preseason game. After it, coach Mike McDaniel paid tribute to the long-time Dolphins executive. “I’m sure you guys have heard that we lost a dear member of the Miami Dolphins organization, Jason Jenkins, Senior Vice President of Communications and Community Affairs,” McDaniel told reporters. “We’re just going through the process in grieving with the team. I just told [the players] about it. Right now football pales in comparison to all the people that were really affected. The list is long from Jason and his walk of life and his wife, Elizabeth, and his children, Liya, Aiden, and Sloane. I haven’t been here that long, but his investment into the team and the community, it didn’t take long to see the great work he did. I mean, I didn’t see a day that — there wasn’t a time — there wasn’t a day that passed that I saw him that he just didn’t light up the room. Like I just told the team, it’s important for those who loved him and were touched by him and all the members of our team to lean on each other. That’s what we’re going to try to do. Our hearts are heavy, as they should be, for an unquestioned professional that’s made his mark on not only the team but the National Football League. Like I told the team, I thought their effort today reflected what would bring him joy as best we could. This was unexpected and very hard. Thoughts and prayers just go with his family. I’m not really sure what I do after this.” McDaniel handled a difficult situation eloquently, paying tribute to Jason Jenkins while recognizing the gaping hole his departure creates, for his family and for the franchise. “As consistent as I have ever seen, from his wardrobe to his spirit,” McDaniel said, as to the impression Jenkins made. “He was the nines. That’s why it makes it so tough. This is a healthy, healthy guy that just brought it every day. He worked at the stadium. I’m not sure how many people that I feel like I know from the stadium. I would love to know more, but on a day-to-day I don’t get to interact with all the people as much as I would like. For him to make such an impact, it was obvious. You can’t make that impression. You get to talk to them maybe once a week, but the impression that he made, there’s no fooling that. You could see the relationships, the eye contact, how people looked at him, how he embraced others. He was the consummate professional. I know for guys that have been around here for a while, they knew him like a family member, and I think it’s incredibly impressive, and it just speaks to the human being and his impact on all of us where I could see that in my brief time around him. I mean, he was a force of positivity. The organization has been through some stuff, and it was very impactful to me just how many people in the organization were passionate about doing their jobs well and about the Dolphins, and he was the top of the list. He was just full of life. That’s the hardest part. There’s no words to describe. He had a great family. His wife is awesome and his children, and it’s just tough. It’s a tough one to swallow, and he will be missed, but he will not be forgotten.” Well said by Mike McDaniel. We join Jason’s family and the Dolphins in mourning his passing.
