DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) - The life of a high-school football recruit to Georgia Tech who took his own life was celebrated at a vigil held at his former high school in Deerfield Beach.
Bryce Gowdy, 17, killed himself on Monday by stepping into the path of a freight train, according to the medical examiner. His death happened less than two weeks after announcing his commitment to the university, and one week before the wide receiver was supposed to report to the team.
“This is a dream,” Gowdy said at a press conference. “I also want to thank my mom.”
His former teammates met with grief counselors and Jevon Glenn, their coach, on Thursday to cope with the loss, and the way it happened.
“The message I’ve learned: You never know what somebody else is going through,” one teammate said.
“As a person, he was a five-star person,” Glenn said. “One of the best kids — the kid who had the wherewithal that he was going through his own struggle, his own mental health issues, his own thoughts of suicide, apparently. He was still able to be a shoulder for others to lean on.”
Daterius Lee, one of Gowdy’s former teammates, said the 17-year-old had a big smile and was a natural leader.
“The coach just wanted us to be comfortable and tell them as ‘Why,’ not hold anything back, not letting it be a ‘If’ or ‘What if’ or ‘What if could’ve been happened,'” Lee said. “He just wanted to let us know that he’s here for us and the whole support system of Broward is here for us ’cause it is a tough loss.”
Gowdy’s mother posted an emotional video to Facebook after learning of her son’s death.
“Bryce was talking crazy,” his mother said. “He kept talking about the signs and the symbols that he was seeing all over the place. I always told him like I wasn’t strong enough to help him right now.”
Former teammate Brandon Dorlus, a defensive end at the University of Oregon, posted a video to Twitter of his shoes that had #RIPBryce and #believein7 written on them. Gowdy wore the number seven for the high school football team.
Hundreds gathered at the high-school football field where Gowdy played for a candlelight vigil, Thursday night.
7News cameras captured the moment attendees released balloons from the field in his honor.
“Not only was he a classmate, but he was a brother,” a vigil attendee said.
“He was a very good guy, and he was always there for all his family, and I was one of his friends,” Trai Daniels said.
Those who knew Gowdy said he struggled with the thought of leaving his family, and somehow over the holidays, he lost his way.
“I love him too much to be angry at him, and I understand what he was going through, what his pain was,” Glenn said. “I’m hurt because I know what he was about to do.”
Gowdy was going to study engineering and business at Georgia Tech.
The school plans to hold a memorial service for Gowdy on Saturday.
Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.