Students and faculty at a college in Pennsylvania are mourning the loss of a standout football player who was found dead inside his dorm room.
A private vigil was held late Sunday at Waynesburg University for Bradley Grinnen, a 21-year-old junior defensive lineman who was found dead inside his room at Willison Hall earlier in the day at the Christian college of roughly 1,500 students, according to the Observer-Reporter.
“The other kids wanted to be Brad and looked up to him, even more than Brad knew,” said Ali Herr, one of Grinnen’s former athletic trainers at Lincoln High School. “He was a great kid.”
Herr said Grinnen was a “mature leader” whom just about everyone on campus liked.
Freshman Lucas Santucci said many students were offering their condolences to Grinnen’s relatives on social media and that everyone on campus appeared shocked and saddened by his death.
“I can tell everybody is down,” Santucci told the Observer-Reporter.
Forever grateful I got to be a part of this brotherhood. Never take life for granted. We love you 72 #waynesburgstrong
— Dave Martin (@dm__55) February 12, 2017
Greene County Coroner Gregory Rohanna said Grinner was pronounced dead at 11:22 a.m. Sunday. The cause of his death was not immediately known. Calls seeking additional comment from Rohanna early Monday were not immediately returned.
Police have said Grinnen’s death was not suspicious and that no threat to the campus exists, university officials said in a statement late Sunday.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with this student’s family and friends,” according to the statement. “On behalf of Waynesburg University, we would like to express our deepest sympathies. We are cooperating fully with the authorities who are investigating the situation. We have been assured that it is not a suspicious death, and there is no perceived threat to the public.”
Rev. Jim Tinnemeyer, the university’s chaplain, told students and faculty that grief counselors would be available in the aftermath of Grinnen’s death, which remains under investigation by Waynesboro police.
“He was loved by many here,” Tinnemeyer said. “He will be greatly missed.”
Grinnen, originally from Ellwood City, was recently named to the first-team All-Presidents’ Athletic Conference team and was the Yellow Jacket’s team leader with 8 sacks, according to the Observer-Reporter. In 2015, he started four of the 10 games he played and had one sack and 2 tackles for loss, according to the team’s website.
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