Not all major events involving author George R.R. Martin end in bloodshed, as "Game of Thrones" fans would have you believe.
Martin, author of the "Song of Ice and Fire" novels that inspired HBO's hit show, attended the New York Jets training camp yesterday and no one left with an arrow in the back. The author, known to be an outspoken Jets and New York Giants fan, watched the two-hour-plus practice Wednesday at the Jets' facility with his wife Parris McBride and general manager Mike Maccagnan.
Martin small talked with players, fans and Jets officials, some of whom pestered him about the fates of Arya Stark, Jon Snow and the rest of the "Game of Thrones" cast. Martin also sat down for a video interview with Jets left tackle and "Thrones" super fan, D'Brickashaw Ferguson.
"I am a big fan of Mr. Martin as a writer and I love the series, so it was a pleasure to spend the afternoon with him and his wife," Maccagnan said in a statement issued by the team. "It was great to talk Jets history with them and hear how closely they have always followed the team."
Martin is on a bit of a sports kick at the moment, planning to attend the Staten Island Yankees minor league baseball game Saturday night as well. The game will adopt a "Game of Thrones" theme, with the home Yankees playing as the Staten Island Direwolves and the visiting Hudson Valley Renegades draped in the gold and red colors of House Lannister.
Martin is currently writing the sixth book in his epic series, "The Winds of Winter," which will be followed eventually by "A Dream of Spring." "Game of Thrones" spoilers have been a popular topic of conversation among NFL training camps, with some players who aren't fully caught up putting a moratorium on spoiler talk. Martin, though, has an easier solution that didn't involve poison or betrayal.
"I think all the players should read the books," he said.
