This was the news that broke late yesterday: Mississippi State Freshman walk-on (from a HS in Mississippi), Sam Westmoreland, had died suddenly. As is often the case w these sudden passings, the cryptic news we got was: “No foul play was suspected.”
Westmoreland was found late in the morn at a church in Starkville, Mississippi, where MSU is located, the Oktibbeha County Sheriff’s Capt. Brett Watson told the local NBC affiliate.
We have NO idea the cause of death. As someone who lost 3 friends to misdiagnosed or undiagnosed heart conditions in their 20s, you never want to jump to conclusions. But there are some impt things to pt out.
If you look at the the next slide➡️, Miss State QB (they’re ranked 24th in the nation) posted this tweet, abt his friend & teammate: “RIP Sam. It’s okay not to be okay & we can do more no matter what is going on. Hail State forever brother. Til we meet again 78.”
Heartbreaking…& an insinuation this loss was MH related. But bc of how these losses are always shrouded in secrecy, these msgs & then the rumor mill start to run rampant.
Why bring this up, AGAIN, after another loss of a student athlete? We’re a traumatized population right now. The loss of young ones has happened way too often (the loss of folks any age is happening way too often w suicide & overdose rates the highest they’ve ever been on record) but in particular case, the loss of these young athletes takes center stage bc of how young & vibrant & related to well-known programs they are.
One of the moms I’m friends w who lost her athlete son to suicide wrote me a DM & said – “I started crying right when I saw this story.” I replied – of course! How could you not when this is our reality all too often now?
We don’t know the cause. We’ve been hinted at it. But at this pt, the cause is less relevant than – we are population traumatized by these losses.
My call for today is – especially in the student athlete community, but really in any group setting – TALK this out. When we don’t: “what ifs, whys & how’s that possibles” dominate our thoughts. We were meant to be in community. Sharing. Pls open up! Pls ask for help!
