Another Shocking Loss
Owen Thomas
For the second time in the less than five year history of this blog, I have the sad duty to report the untimely death of an active player on the University of Pennsylvania football team.
This team it was a captain.
Owen Thomas, a star defensive end who trailed only Columbia's Lou Miller in sacks last season was found dead in his room yesterday afternoon.
I expect the authorities to learn the cause of death sometime soon.
But "cause of death" is never enough in cases like this.
A 21-year-old young man with everything to live for and so much going for him is dead. What "cause" can explain that?
In 2005 when Penn player Kyle Ambrogi died, the first game after that sad event was a Penn-Columbia game at Wien Stadium. It may have been a road game, and Columbia Homecoming, but the crowd observed the most respectful moment of silence I have ever witnessed at a sporting event in Ambrogi's memory.
I never thought I would have to see something like that again.
posted by Jake @ 10:09:00 PM
5 comments
5 Comments:
This is the second death of a fine football player (the other being the Notre Dame recruit from Cincinnati). It really saddens me greatly when the football community loses kids like this.
Sucks
It does suck indeed. The "cause" of death has apparently been ruled as suicide. Depression is truly a disease we don't always recognize or treat well. I am even more sad today.
The story in The Daily Pennsylvanian sems to indicate concern about his inability to live up to expectations academically. Apparently there were no warning signs which are characteristic of a depression which had spiralled out of control.
This is horrible and heartbreaking. My thoughts are with his family, friends, teammates and coaches. As a parent of a CU player, we are reminded as a community to pay attention, to reach out and to speak up. Even slight displays of hopelessness should not be ignored. These young men are very hardworking, self-directed, self-critical and tend to be perfectionists. The chance that they will reveal themselves in crisis is small.
It "takes a village" and we are the village.
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