It’s a moment family, friends and members of any community just can’t prepare for.
Sixteen-year-old Julian Jones, a standout football talent at Hazel Green High School in Alabama, committed suicide earlier this month. The small Alabama town was understandably rocked by the news. Tributes poured in from Jones’ teammates, coaches and friends.
And everyone wondered simply — why?
TheGrio | Alabama high school football star commits suicide
Al.com’s John Talty has written a gripping account of Jones’ “final days,” and the heartbreak of his eventual death. The football star was being recruited by a slew of top D1 schools, with the South Carolina Gamecocks reportedly at the top of his list.
About a month before Jones’ death, he suffered a season-ending injury during the team’s second game. He tore a ligament in his knee and required surgery.
Although Talty’s report points out that “there are no real anwers,” some of Jones’ friends said they believe his surgery changed him:
“To be honest, he really did seem different after the surgery,” said Austin Pinkerton, who sat with Julian every day at lunch. “The last few days I [saw] him, it seemed like he was a little quiet and he didn’t talk much.”
Jones missed some days at school, but some of his friends believed it was due to post-surgery pain. Usually talkative about the team’s progress and encouraging via text threads with teammates, Jones went uncharacteristically silent following his procedure.
He didn’t attend any games, and his teammates barely heard from him. None of his teammates communicated with him the weekend before he died.
An emotional scene at Hazel Green tonight to remember Julian Jones. pic.twitter.com/DI7cLFwauG
— John Talty (@JTalty) October 8, 2014
https://twitter.com/AaronAtk9/status/520659415691571200
In May, Al.com posted an interview where Jones talked about his love for the South Carolina Gamecocks, particularly Jadeveon Clowney. Jones had his eyes set on winning the Heisman as a defensive player, something Clowney nearly accomplished.
