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Former LSU LB Kwon Alexander pens powerful essay about brother’s murder
By Adam Spencer
Published:
One year ago today, former LSU LB Kwon Alexander received the worst news imaginable — his little brother had been murdered in his hometown in northern Alabama.
In a powerful essay for The Players’ Tribune, Alexander recounts the night his entire life changed and how he was able to take the field for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers only two days later:
Alabama is known for turning out NFL players. But not the town where I’m from. I was one of few who made it to the league out of Oxford. And that week — the week I got the news about Lil’ Brod — my whole family was supposed to make the 90-minute drive to Atlanta to watch me play. It was supposed to be a homecoming for me. It was supposed to be a special game that I would never forget.
But after I heard the news, I was ready to book a flight to Alabama and skip the Falcons game. I knew how much my family was hurting. I was feeling it, too, and I wanted to be there for them.
But my mom said no.
“You better not come home, Kwon,” she said. “Brod would have wanted you to play. So you go play.”
Not only did Alexander play, he had the best game of his short NFL career, recording 11 tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery to earn NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
In his powerful essay, Alexander goes on to describe what happened next — the funeral and saying goodbye to his biggest fan. The emotional piece is well worth your time and can be found here.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
