A Freak Accident claimed the life of 19 year old Sophmore WR and return man Bill Gains near Pittsburgh on Wednesday. He and a team mate were climbing near the ceiling of a Catholic church on wooden beams some 25 feet off the ground when the 19 yo lost his balance and fell backwards onto a pew. Gaines suffered a fractured skull and severe damage to the spine. The priest of the church came to the scene upon hearing the noise associated with the fall. Gains was breathing as he was transported to Pittsburgh's Mercy Hospital. He died less then 24 hours later with family and friends near his hospital bedside.
It's not known exactly what the two young guy's were up to when venturing out on the beams high off the ground. Both players were living for a short time on the church's property because their apartment near the Pitt campus caught on fire a few weeks earlier. Both players were friends with the priest. The priest has since taken leave in the wake of Gain's death, not even communicating with gain's parents.
Billy Gains had become one the University's favorite players. His 5.7 height and 168 weight made him a very small player by division one standards But his competitive nature,excellent athletic ability and speed won him a full scholarship and great respect. In high school Gains played for a Maryland team that never lost a game durring his 4 years. Choosing Pitt for academic reason's, Gains approached the football team as a walk on player. His workout performance
so impressed coach Walt Harris, a full scholarship was awarded to Gains. Gain's broke down upon hearing of his scholarship status. He was a true small town all american young guy with a huge heart. A role model for many of all ages. His heart, competitive on field nature, athletic ability, acceptance of all people, politeness, and all american abercrombie type of look helped to make him a very popular guy on campus. A serious blow to a team ranked preseason as high as 9.
Team Profile
http://www.pittsburghpanthers.com/sports/f...p?PLAYER_ID=526
Pictures
www.pittsburghpanthers.com/ .../bio.asp?PLAYER_ID=526

www.digisportspix.com/ ndpitt2.html

I read about this today on ESPN.com. Really sad. My condolences to the family and his friends at Pitt.

Recent Follow up. Pittburgh News reporting that the autopsy on Gains does show he had been drinking. And recent reports are that the priest of the church had been serving under age athletes liquor. Reportedly for several years. frown

How sad is it that I so not surprised by this revelation?

The picture of interest on that page is
Pitt's Billy Gaines is tackled on a punt return.

Now reported the priest involved has had 3 prior reported cases of serving liquor and weed to underage males and one sexual advance on a teen male. No word yet on the priest's involvement with Billy Graines.

This is one of the saddest stories I've seen affect an entire community in a long time....as I mentioned in another thread earlier today, I live in Maryland not far from Ijamsville and my nephew was a teammate of Billy Gaines' (and Penn State QB Zack Mills) on the Urbana H.S. team two years ago....as the newspaper stories linked below detail, Gaines was absolutely revered in this community and not solely due to the fact that his Hawks teams never lost a single game during the four years he was there nor was it due to the many the records he set while being only 5'7'' tall....rather, it is stories of Billy's heart, determination and modesty that are legendary around here.

As one local columnist explained, "Before his senior year at Urbana, Gaines gained national recognition by posting the fastest 40-yard dash time among the more than 3,000 football prospects who took part in the national Nike Football Training Camps. Through it all, Gaines maintained his small-town demeanor, which Urbana teacher and coach Tim Myers remembers well. 'He set the example for his fellow players by being humble, working hard and showing respect for all coaches, players and officials during that season when he received a huge amount of publicity. Most young people would have gotten the big-head attitude, but not Billy. I was kidding Billy one day at practice after one of the many publications featuring him was issued. I said to him 'are you the famous Billy Gaines?' He replied after lowering his head, 'I'm not famous, I'm just a very fortunate local kid.'"

Dustin, I don't know which news outlets are reporting the allegations you mentioned regarding alcohol being involved (or past transgressions on the part of one of the priests -- particularly with you being in Florida-Colorado?) but none of the local media here in Maryland (which has been covering this tragedy EXTENSIVELY) have reported any such details....in fact, the Washington Post column (linked below) provides without a doubt the most extensive, first-hand accounts of the incident including interviews with Billy's roommate (and Pitt placekicker) David Abdul, who was with Billy at the time of the accident....to briefly summarize a few of his accounts (and I encourage you to read the entire Washington Post story detailed below), "According to Abdul,, six of the students had a barbecue at the church Tuesday night. Sometime after 2AM, several of them climbed up the stairs to the church's attic to do some some exploring. It was a long attic -- nearly half the length of a football field -- and the ceiling was so low that Abdul and Gaines had to crawl along on their knees. About halfway across the ceiling, both decided to turn around. Moments later, Abdul said, he heard the horrible noise. 'I went crawling back, hoping he was hanging on to something. He wasn't. So I yelled at one of my friends at the end (of the attic) to call an ambulance.' Abdul hurried downstairs where Gaines had fallen -- apparently crashing through the drywall, then onto a pew that buckled under the force. Gaines was unconscious when he got there, and his body so badly injured that everyone but Abdul shrank away. 'I was holding his head, yelling at him, trying to get him to wake up or come to,' Abdul said. 'It was really scary. No one else would go near him. I was just trying to talk to him.'".....According to Abdul, there was no alcohol involved. 'It had nothing to do with anything like that,' Abdul said. 'We were just checking the place out....We were just going up there to see if anything was up there.'"


Gaines Death Stuns Family, Friends, Town

Billy Gaines was a winner

Football Star Dies -- Community Will Remember Gaines

If this type of story doesn't affect you to some degree, you must be a far less emotional person than I am....I, for one, believe the accounts of the accident depicted by Billy's roommate and teammate 100% and unless I see information to the contrary will continue to believe that this was just a tragic end to some young guys doing some late night "exploring".

There is already talk about renaming the football stadium at Urbana in his honor -- few, if any, teenage athletes accomplished more or got more out of their God given ability than Billy Gaines did....may he rest in peace.

[ June 20, 2003, 09:04 PM: Message edited by: gamecock ]

Registration is required to read articles at "The Frederick News-Post."

Here's a link to an article on the "Baltimore Sun's" website.

http://www.sunspot.net/sports/bal-sp.gaine...es20jun20.story

[ June 20, 2003, 09:26 PM: Message edited by: twin58 ]

Very sad ! Have several pitt freinds that knew him. All said he was a very fun and with it guy. Sad news on drinking blood levels and 'host' priest past sexual advances on young males and associated drug problems comes from the Pittsburgh counter news paper PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE rather then the larger PITTSBURGH POST GAZETTE.

Priest previously accused of giving minors drugs, alcohol
PITTSBURGHLIVE.com

Thanks for the update, Dustin....not that it makes this story any less tragic but, contrary to what Billy's roommate and teammate told the Washington Post on Thursday, it appears they had been drinking (and for quite a while, if the blood alcohol level stated in the Pittsburgh Tribune story is accurate)....I don't think any of the past allegations regarding the priest (allegedly making sexual advances towards a minor years ago) are relevant to this story but it is still a shame to see a young man like Gaines who clearly possessed so many admirable qualities have his life cut short so early....seeing the interviews with Billy's parents and photos of his two younger brothers on the news here only serves to make this accident even more heartbreaking.

Gamecock, so very true. I guess Pittsburgh police will look into the potential tie in with the priest. Local tv has started to bring his inolvement into the whole scene. Billy's story was bound to be a great one. Word on the street was he may have been the 3rd wr. Behind what should be a very good offense. Combined with him being the solid young guy he was = Huge Bummer. frown

Specifically,
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/tribune-re...w/s_141098.html

Is this Scaife's paper?

Yes, that is his papers website.

An update on this sad story from ESPN.com:

Wonder Where the Vatican's Outrage Is About This?

I don't understand your question. Are you saying that the Vatican should be outraged that a priest has been arrested and charged with a serious crime when he was not responsible for the actions taken by the 19 year old? Or are you saying that the Vatican should be outraged that one of its priests gave booze to a 19 year old?

I don't see why "outrage" is the proper response in either instance.

If it's the former, the charge of "involuntary manslaughter" is extreme and wrongly motivated, but there was some moral responsible for what happened. There should be sadness at the charge, sadness at the actions by priest, too, but not "outrage." If it's the latter, the Vatican does not crusade against youth consumption of alcohol. Just because it's against the laws of Pennsylvania doesn't mean that it's against God's laws and that the Vatican need be outraged.

The death of this 19 year old was a tragedy. The death of just about any 19 year old is a tragedy. But 19 is old enough to be responsible for your own actions and blaming the person who served him the alcohol (whether it be a priest or some civilian) won't undo the tragedy, it won't bring the kid back to life, and it won't stop 19 year olds from drinking too much as long as we live in a culture that is blind to the notion that youths can be taught to drink responsibly.

Even if it is not against some law of God for minors to drink, it is against the law of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Church certainly should be expected to follow the laws of the jurisdictions where they are. The Church and its representatives are not above the laws. A priest aiding and abeting a minor to break the law (whether you agree with said law or not) is most certainly something the Vatican should be outraged about.

The issue that a 19 year old is old enough to know better is hardly the point. If bar owners and party hosts can be held accountable for the post-drinking actions of their of-age customers and party guests, then a priest serving booze to a minor certainly should be as well. I'd also be curious to know if the priest had some ulterior motive for serving alcohol to the boys. It certainly wouldn't be the first time someone used alcohol for sexual advances and such.

That said, I'm not sure if a charge of involuntary manslaughter is warranted as I don't know what the sentence is. And while it is true that a 19 year old will find a way to get alcohol, the fact is any adult who knowingly and willingly gives it to them should be held responsible if something happens.

Were Gaines and the other young men responsible for their actions? Of course.

Does that excuse the church or the priest? No. Besides the issue of providing alcohol to minors, which is a valid basis for civil injury lawsuits (as well as criminal charges) in some states, a property owner is open to liability claims (and lawsuits if the insurer denies the claim) for any injury on its property, especially if the injury can be attributed to the condition of the property. Falling through a ceiling qualifies, especially if the ceiling broke because of a rotting beam or any other preventable cause. It's no different from slipping on an icy sidewalk and breaking your neck, or getting bitten by somebody's dog (leashed or not).

Put it this way ... if this had happened at the fieldhouse, wouldn't the school be open to at least an insurance claim?

Putting all that aside and getting back to the tragedy aspect, the school website mentions:
Billy Gaines Memorial Fund

In another thread, fantomas posted:

Another very bad choice by a member of the Roman Catholic clergy:

Priest charged with manslaughter in Pitt football player's death

Anyone surprised by that last paragraph? frown

This time the priest was, at least, getting an adult drunk. Still underage, but an adult.

[ September 08, 2003, 05:47 PM: Message edited by: PCC ]

In another thread, dustin posted:

Just about 3 months after sophmore billy gaines, univ of pittsburgh football player plunged to his death inside a subrban pittsburgh catholic church, his family announced a lawsuit in the amount of 74 million dollars. The lawsuit targets the pittsburgh archbishop, and the pittsuburgh catholic church. This comes as no suprise as the priest in charge of the church-site where gaines died has been charged with providing liquor to gaines and other under age guy's. (gaines was drunk from liquor provided by the priest when he fell to his death. To add more 'fuel to the fire' word has leaked from sources that the seized personal computers of both gaines and the priest indicate the possibility gaines was exploring his sexuality with the priest. Gay adult porn and email between both the priest and gaines indicates sexual moves and action between both. The priest had been accused several years ago of sexually aproaching a 17 year old boy on church property. But little was done by the church in response. The aggressiveness of the lawsuit may indicate the attack on the catholic church's lack of action toward the priest on past act's of serving under age drinking and under age sexual advances. From all indicatons, gaines was a postive minded typical all american kid playing the sport he loved at the school of his choice. And was trouble free outside of the events that claimed his life. Those events taken advantage by another priest gone wild......