Liberty football player Tajh Boyd ‘died by suicide’, Virginia medical examiner reveals as head coach Jamey Chadwell remembers the 19-year-old for his ‘giving heart’: ‘He lit up the room’
- Tajh Boyd’s death was announced last week in a statement from Liberty
- And it is now reported that the 19-year-old died by suicide
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
Liberty University football player Tajh Boyd has died by suicide, a coroner has determined.
Boyd, a 19-year-old freshman forward from Chesapeake, Virginia, died last week.
And as reported by CBS 6 News And 10 WAVYthe Western District Medical Examiner Office determined that Boyd committed suicide.
The medical examiner did not immediately respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com at the time of publication.
Liberty coach Jamey Chadwell did not specifically say that Boyd committed suicide, but confirmed that his death was not football related.
Tajh Boyd, a soccer player at Liberty University, died just weeks before his 20th birthday
Liberty coach Jamey Chadwell confirmed Boyd’s death was not football related
A spokesman for the Lynchburg Police Department said this week that police had investigated the death and determined that a criminal investigation was not necessary.
“It’s been a challenging time, not just for our staff, our players and just our entire community trying to understand what’s going on,” Chadwell said at a news conference.
“He has had a huge impact on the team. He was very quiet in terms of an outward silence, but when he was one-on-one with his teammates, he lit up the room. He had a very generous heart and if there was anything anyone on the team was going through, he was always there.”
Conference USA, where Liberty Football plays, also released a statement following Boyd’s death: “We are deeply saddened by the passing of Liberty Football student-athlete Tajh Boyd,” it said. “Our thoughts are with the Boyd family and the Flames nation at this difficult time.”
Boyd was a freshman offensive lineman who had one game left to play for Liberty University
Boyd was heavily recruited from Oscar F. Smith High School in Chesapeake, Virginia, where he won a pair of state titles.
The offensive lineman also received scholarship offers from Bowling Green, Buffalo, Campbell, Duke, Jackson State, James Madison, Maine, Maryland, Morgan State, Norfolk State, North Carolina A&T and Virginia Tech, according to his Liberty bio page.
Funeral arrangements have not yet been made, and Chadwell said that when they are, the coaching staff will rearrange the team’s schedule to be part of it.
“Of course we’re trying to get a team ready, but we’re also trying to make sure we understand the different feelings different groups can have and how to deal with that,” Caldwell said.
The Flames open the season at home against Bowling Green on September 2.