Events are sometimes described as tragic, even if that adjective is too strong. In this case, however, it is sadly poignant.
18-year-old football player Dijon Anderson unfortunately passed away on Tuesday, after suffering injuries in conjunction with a shooting earlier in May. The young man was signed to play college football at Southern Illinois beginning in 2017 and, after battling in the hospital for more than two weeks, Anderson succumbed.
The senior at Warren Central High School (Ind.) seemed to be extremely excited and grateful after signing to play football at the college level, sharing this on his personal Twitter account (h/t USA Today):
"First off I want to thank God for blessing me and leading me in the right direction in life. I also want to thank all my coaches and all my teachers for believing in me and pushing me to my best ability. I want to thank my mama because if it wasn't for her I wouldn't be here today. My mama never missed one of my games ever in my whole life. She will always be my #1 fan. Also I want to thank all my coaches and mentors because when I wanted to just give up and quit they pushed me. Shoutout to coach Spann and the SIU coaching staff. But I'm just blessed and honored to be able to sign with Southern Illinois University. #RunWitUs"
This is absolutely brutal for all parties involved and especially for Anderson's family and friends. Our condolences go out to them.
