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Truly sad and shocking news out of Germany late Tuesday, as goalkeeper Robert Enke died at the age of 32 in an apparent suicide, which was confirmed by his agent. Enke was hit by a train at a crossing near his home in Neustadt-Eilvese. By most accounts Enke, who played at Hannover 96, figured to be a part of the German 2010 World Cup squad, finally getting a chance to play after the successive retirements of longtime keepers Oliver Kahn and Jens Lehmann.
Germany was scheduled to play a friendly with fellow World Cup participant Chile on Saturday, though Enke was not a part of the squad. It's unsure if the match due to take place in Cologne will go on as scheduled.
When something like this happens, there's really not much to say aside for sympathies for Enke's wife Teresa and adopted nine-month-old daughter. It's also sad to read in the wake of Enke's death that his daughter, Lara, died in 2006 at the age of two due to a rare heart condition.
From an American perspective, it's hard to imagine what would happen in the macabre hypothetical scenario where a high-profile player in an North American sports league were to commit suicide while he was still playing. Fortunately the list of American professional athlete suicides isn't very long, with the highest profile being former pitcher Donnie Moore, who killed himself shortly after his career ended in 1989.
Suffice to say, it would likely dominate the news cycle for more than just a day or two, but let's hope this is a possibility we never have to worry about.
Enke had been with Hannover since 2004 after a globe-trotting career that saw stops at high-profile clubs like Benfica, Barcelona and Fenerbahce. He was teammates with U.S. international Steve Cherundolo, who himself has been with the German club since 1999. (Another American -- Sal Zizzo -- is also on the books at Hannover, but this season he's been loaned to 2.Bundesliga club Fortuna Dusseldorf.)
German national team general manager Oliver Bierhoff has been quoted as saying, "We are all shocked. We are lost for words."
It's hard to argue with him.
If you happen to speak German, The Bild website has plenty of addition information on the life and death of Enke.
