Maurice Purify's Brother Shot and Killed

3 comments so far August 22, 2007 by Darren K. Carlson

A troubling off season for Nebraska wide receiver Maurice Purify became even more difficult this week. Purify's 29-year-old brother was shot and killed in Oakland, California. Purify left the team Wednesday to travel home, and is expected back in Lincoln on Sunday after the funeral has been completed. Certainly, many feel for Purify's loss and only wish the best for his family. How much the loss of his brother will affect Purify's performance on the field is unknown, and a topic for another day. The two words that immediately jump to mind right now are sympathy and support.

Sympathy, Personal and Public
Reaction to Purify's July brushes with the law can be instructive to how his team and the public may react to the loss of his brother. Even when he was in the wrong, his teammates rallied around him. Their reaction showed how well liked he is by the squad as a whole. No doubt, they will rally again. That can only help Purify as he deals with the loss. And it may in fact galvanize the team even more.

Purify also becomes a more sympathetic character in the public eye. Members of the press or fans at large who may have felt some ill toward Purify for his issues with alcohol this summer will need to revisit their opinion of him in light of these new events.

Support from Coaches
How well Purify is able to deal with his brother's death will likely boiled down to the support he gets from the NU coaching staff. The most vital parts of coaching often have nothing to do with Xs and Os or teaching fundamentals. Miles from home, and under immense pressure, players often see coaches as defacto father figures. In fact, one of the tenants of effective recruiters is convincing parents they will watch after their child as if they were their own.

And, frankly, dealing with personal loss is one of the prerequisites for leadership in any organization. When you deal with that many people, there is sure to be some tragedy or loss on some level. For example, fellow NU receiver Menolik Holt lost his mother at a young age. Receivers coach Ted Gilmore has doubtlessly had to address that at some point with the player. And, he will have to be a support to Purify in this case.

How this affects Purify as a football player is not at issue. The more immediate concern is that he get adequate sympathy and support from his coaches, teammates and fans to help him bounce back.

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