Tragedy does not have a more meaningful face.
A high school football player is dead, allegedly murdered by his supposed teammate and boyfriend after the two had a disagreement about the future of their relationship.
Officials have not yet released the identity of the accused murderer, allegedly a 16-year-old football player in Los Angeles County, for the death of 17-year-old high school football player Jeremy Sanchez. The two boys were apparently involved in a romantic relationship that was on the precipice of ending when the unnamed boy murdered Sanchez.
In a grisly detail of the murder story, the unnamed suspect was also the boy who apparently “found” Sanchez’s murdered body when the boy did not show up for school.
We have heard about intra-team dating issues in women’s sports for years. Yet as gay and bisexual male athletes become more prominent in boys sports, the issue of teammates dating in football, baseball and other boys sports will continue to grow.
If there was ever a moment for high schools to proactively address LGBTQ acceptance and intra-team dating in sports, it’s now.
According to The Advocate, a Go Fund Me page has been set up to help the family cover the costs of the funeral for the young man.
Our hearts go out to the victim and his family in what must be the worst moments of their lives.