PULLMAN, Wash. — WSU football players arose Saturday morning preparing to play an early 11:30 AM game against Utah.
However, they also arose to the news that their teammate, Brandon Gray, had been shot in Pullman and lifeflighted to Spokane.
"There was a lot of emotion. That’s just a hard thing to hear on the morning of a game," said Rolovich on Monday.
Gray was in Pullman and not with the team in Salt Lake City because he is not on the travel squad.
Nick Rolovich said he found out about the incident at 2:30 in the morning and that it was a late, late night figuring out what to do next.
"We talked about playing inspired football for BG," said Rolovich of what he said when he addressed the team Saturday morning. "Of course, it could’ve gone better, and it could’ve been better, but how they approached it and the effort they put forth, which I think people saw, is commendable."
Gray is now in stable condition, according the Rolovich.
On Saturday, WSU defensive player Ron Stone Jr. was obviously shaken up by the situation.
"When you see something in the news like that, you never expect it to be someone you know. It’s shocking, and it’s humbling to know that not every day is guaranteed, and you can’t take every day for granted," said Stone Jr.
For the fifth or sixth year players on this team, such as offensive lineman Abe Lucas, this is their third major tragedy since January of 2018. That’s when quarterback Tyler Hilinski took his life. Then two March’s ago, safety Bryce Beekman died of an accidental overdose.
"It was tough," said Abe on Saturday about when he learned of the news that morning. "It seems to be a recurring thing around here, and I don’t know why. I heard the news, and it took me back to Tyler and Bryce. It was difficult."
Rolovich said Monday though that he was impressed with how his seniors handled the situation.
"There is a lot of strength and maturity in the older guys who have been through some of these. They took it upon themselves to not only grieve or have concerns or their own emotions, but I think they were there for each other, especially for the guys who are young and new to the program," said Rolovich.
Stone knows that there is nothing positive about a shooting, but he hopes that something good can come from it.
"There’s a lot of love in this locker room and a lot of love on this campus. I think this is really going to make people come together and feel that love and that Coug helping Coug mentality that we all have," said Stone Jr.