Coach Brian Kelly reflected on the death of former LSU wide receiver Kyren Lacy on Tuesday after his team wrapped up its penultimate spring practice.
Lacy died in Houston on Saturday from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound while authorities pursued him in a car chase, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. On Monday, a grand jury was scheduled to begin hearing evidence related to the fatal car crash that Louisiana State Police accused him of causing in December. He was 24.
“Kyren was a bright star,” Kelly said. “He had an incredible personality. I’ll remember him as somebody that had a love for the game, a love for being a Tiger and was a guy that played with great emotion. When you think of Kyren, you’re gonna smile most of the time because of the way he handled himself.
“He was a guy that was full of energy, and I think a lot of his teammates will remember him that way as well.”
Kelly said LSU will “lean heavily” on its professional counseling staff in the days and weeks ahead to give players the opportunity to seek out one-on-one conversations, if they need them, to process Lacy’s death.
“Certainly, it’s a process for them,” Kelly said, “the grieving and shock, and certainly, the disbelief.
“I think everybody on our team in some way had a relationship at different levels with Kyren. So, everybody is gonna deal with it differently, so first, understanding that, right? That’s there’s not one way that you’re supposed to feel, right?”
On Jan. 12, State Police said Lacy was booked into Lafourche Parish Correctional Complex on counts of negligent homicide, felony hit-and-run and reckless operation of a vehicle. The charges stemmed from a Dec. 17 car crash that killed a Thibodaux man, 78-year-old Herman Hall, and injured two others on La. 20 near Perez Lane.
Police said Lacy “recklessly passed multiple vehicles at a high rate of speed by crossing the centerline and entering the northbound lane while in a no-pass zone.”
Lacy’s defense attorney, Matthew Ory, said in February that the LSU wideout “briefly passed other vehicles” and “safely reentered his lane without incident.”
Ory said in a statement Sunday that he believed evidence in the case would’ve led the grand jury to decline charges against Lacy. He also said he’d order a review into the police investigation of Lacy’s involvement in the crash.
“Kyren was a young man with immense promise,” Ory said, “and he was crushed under the weight of an irresponsible and prejudiced process…The pressure and perception likely became unbearable.”
Lacy, a senior who exhausted his collegiate eligibility at the end of the 2024 season, spent the first two years of his career at UL, then transferred to LSU prior to the 2022 season. He caught 112 passes for 1,692 yards and 16 touchdowns in three years with the Tigers.
The Thibodaux native did not attend the NFL scouting combine or the Senior Bowl. But he did participate in drills as part of LSU’s Pro Day on March 26.
Just over two weeks later, on Saturday, a female family member called authorities to report that Lacy had fired a gun at the ground during a verbal argument, the Sheriff’s Office said. Law enforcement responded to the scene, then learned that Lacy had driven away.
About 20 minutes later, police said, officers tried to stop Lacy, but he sped away in his car, starting a chase that lasted several miles and ended in a crash.
Authorities discovered that Lacy had shot himself once they tried to remove him from his vehicle and take him into custody.
Lacy’s father, Kenny, encouraged parents in a Facebook post on Sunday to talk to their children about mental health at an early age.
Kelly said Tuesday that he is “always on guard” for mental-health concerns that can arise among players on his teams.
“Unfortunately, in my career,” Kelly said, “this is not the first time that this has happened. Mental health is part of one of the facets of player development that you’re working with in my field. Unfortunately, it’s happened before, and I never take a situation like this as one that could never happen.”
If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide and needs support now, call or text 988 or chat with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988lifeline.org.
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