'I carry myself the way he did': WSU continues to remember Tyler Hilinski
It’s the story no one wants to tell, but everyone needs to hear.
It’s the struggles players face, the challenges coaches go through and the impact one boy, one man, can have on so many.
When Washington State University football head coach Mike Leach took to the podium at PAC-12 Media Day, the topic at the the forefront was Tyler Hilinski.
Hilinski, a 21-year-old who seemed lined up to be the Cougars QB1 this upcoming season, committed suicide in his Pullman apartment in January. After posthumous tests were done, his family was told HIlinski showed extensive brain damage that’s been linked to concussions from playing the sport.
“We all have very fond memories of Tyler,” Leach said. “We're proud that we had the opportunity to know him, but then also he would want us to -- we believe, anyway, or I do, that he'd want us to move on and have productive lives and elevate what we can do.”
Hilinski, who was a standout player at Upland High School, appeared in eight games during his sophomore season at WSU, throwing for 1,176 yards and seven touchdowns. His most memorable outing came in the second week of the season, when he led Washington State from a 21-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Boise State 47-44 in triple overtime. Hilinski threw for 240 yards and three touchdowns coming off the bench and was carried off the field after the victory. His only start came in the Holiday Bowl against Michigan State, although he played extensively in a loss to Arizona.
While his story is one that ended far too early, Leach’s message is one that will try to make sure others don’t face the same trauma HIlinski did.
“The biggest thing was as soon as it happened, we got counselors with the team. But then the other thing is just be present for everybody on the team.” Leach said. “Then having the team itself, I think has been very helpful.”
Still six months later, his teammates admit it’s difficult to make it through the day without thinking of not only their future leader on the field, but their friend and classmate.
“I see him everyday through these wristbands,” senior wide receiver Kyle Sweet said as he looked down to his arms donning several bands reading ‘Hilinski’s Hope.’ “I think of him everyday. I model myself and carry myself the way that he did and I do that by looking at these.”
“He’s going to be with us forever. Kyle was one of my best friends,” junior safety Jalen Thompson added. “The wristbands are just to remember him always and he’s with us when we play, when we practice, when we do everything.”
Just as his WSU teammates are feeling the impact of Hilinski's loss, so too are his former Upland companions.
"It was hard for me. I found out the day before my birthday so you can imagine how that is," said current UCLA linebacker Josh Woods, who played with Hilinski at Upland, as he peered down to the two wristbands-- one on each arm. "After high school we weren’t the closest. Everybody when their own ways and we all had our own things going on. It’s unfortunate. I wish I could have been in contact more. We just had birthdays where we said happy birthday to each other. After the games when we played each other, a little hug and a little talk, but we never connected on a regular basis. It affected me a lot. Just pushing the envelop for the mental health in college sports."
In response to the incident, the family has started the Hilinski’s Hope Foundation to raise awareness about mental health wellness for student-athletes and raise money for research. WSU also said it was adding more safeguards to help students, including a second formal mental health screening for all football players and meetings with all varsity sports athletes to consider mental health risks. PAC-12 commissioner Larry Scott announced the conference was contributing ample resources to the “largest concussion study in history.”
While research will undoubtedly make major impacts down the road, Sweet believes changing the stigma around mental health is a necessity for the now.
“We need to make it specifically for guys to be able to understand it’s ok to get help and if they’re feeling something, it’s OK to get help. No matter who it is, what it is about, you just have to get it out there,” Sweet said. “For the most part guys want to be stronger and don’t want to say what they’re feeling and what their emotions are like. That’s something we as a society need to get past because it’s extremely devastating when you go through that and have to deal with that.”
Hilinski’s younger brother, Ryan, is heading into his senior year as a quarterback at CIF powerhouse Orange Lutheran and is committed to the University of South Carolina. He, like Sweet and Thompson, has continued to play alongside Tyler’s memory.
https://twitter.com/ryan_hilinski/status/981637862624915456
Anyone who is struggling with depression is urged to reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
