"Don’t suffer in silence": Cam Newton delivers words of wisdom after LSU's Kyren Lacy's death
Kyren Lacy died in an apparent suicide during a police chase in Houston on Apr. 12, authorities reported last week. The LSU wideout's death came just before he was expected to testify before a grand jury related to a hit-and-run incident that took place in Dec. 2024.
A few days after Kyren’s father, Kenny Lacy, posted a message about his son's troubles and mental health issues, former NFL star Cam Newton offered his own words of wisdom on trying to deal with the problem.
"True strength lies in vulnerability — don’t suffer in silence, lean on your tribe," a caption read in an X post from Newton's 4th&1 show.
"I would like to take a moment to just tell everybody to keep the Lacy family in their thoughts and prayers," Newton said on Friday. "Just because, that's a lot, man. As a father, my heart goes out to the dad, because you never think that you will bury your son. You think the other way, the son would be burying him. But when that does happen, what do you do?
"So, anybody who is going through mental strain, find that tribe, find that ecosystem, find that friend, find that family member who can understand you, or is willing to understand you."
Lacy was 24 at the time of his death. He had taken part in LSU's pro day just a few weeks before his reported suicide.
Kyren Lacy was projected as a first-round pick at the 2025 NFL draft
Many analysts felt that Kyren Lacy would get picked late in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft. The wideout was among the top prospects in this year's class.
Lacy began his collegiate career at Louisiana in 2020 and played two seasons with the Ragin' Cajuns. He transferred to LSU in 2022 and spent three seasons with the Tigers.
In his final year at LSU, Lacy recorded 866 yards and nine touchdowns on 58 receptions across 12 games.
Lacy had posted a 4.50-second 40-yard dash and a 36-inch vertical jump during his pro day and had impressed a few teams, despite his legal troubles off the field.
Due to his tragic passing, Lacy's NFL dreams will unfortunately not materialize.