Trevon Tyler, an offensive lineman from South Lyon East High School in Michigan, passed away unexpectedly after having knee surgery which ended his season. The news was first announced on Tyler’s social media account and head coach Joe Pesci scheduled a team meeting for anyone in the area during their Thanksgiving break.
“It was tough,” he said per USA Today. “The guys start coming in. All you want to do is hug each one of them and tell them that you love them. We hugged every kid on the way in, and then on the way out it was the same thing. You are still kind of numb and don’t know what to do. We just want to make sure we are there for our kids.”
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A GoFundMe Page has been set up to help the Tyler family and as of Monday morning, over $20,000 has been raised. In the description, it said Tyler passed away on Friday, Nov. 29 due to complications of the surgery.
“He wasn’t just a player respected by his coaches and teammates he was a friend and student loved by so many here at South Lyon East High School and in the South Lyon Community,” the description said. “More importantly, he was a son, a brother and loved family member. He will be missed by his family, teammates, coaches and everyone who was blessed to have known him.”
Many people who donated shared their experiences with Tyler. One person wrote, “(Trevon) was a very nice student and young man. He loves Hot Cheetos and Chocolate Milk in the lunch line. He will be missed by his East lunch ladies. We love you.”
One parent said talked about how much Tyler will be missed at school. The parent wrote, “My daughter Avery is a classmate of Trevon’s and was a teammate of his on the East throwing team (track and field). She admired Trevon for how fun and friendly he was. She has a lot of great memories of him especially during track season. He will be greatly missed. Sending out love and prayers to the family and friends.”
Pesci said the school will honor Tyler with a whiteout on Monday. He also said that there will be staff on hand to talk to students if needed.
“The administration and crisis team will be on hand to help any student who needs to talk,” he said. “In the community, they put it out there to tie a white ribbon around your tree in your yard for Trevon. I think they have wristbands being brought up for students.”
