Auburn Tigers can’t wait to see Brian Battie again after shooting

DALLAS — Former USF football star Brian Battie continues to be in the thoughts of his Auburn teammates as he recovers from a shooting in May and the Tigers prepare for a season without his daily presence.

“Still praying for Brian and his family during this time,” Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne said Thursday during SEC media days. “I know we can’t wait to see him again. I’m sure at some point here, we’ll all see him again at the facility. That’s our hope, and I’ll get to talk to him.”

Battie, 22, was shot in the head in his hometown of Sarasota. His brother, Tommie, was killed in the early-morning incident at age 24.

Battie has made progress, according to a post last month on his family’s GoFundMe page. He can eat without restrictions and moved to Sarasota Memorial Hospital’s intensive rehabilitation facility.

“Praise God for that,” Thorne said.

Battie spent his first three collegiate seasons at USF. He was one of the nation’s top kickoff returners in 2021 and rushed for more than 1,100 yards for the Bulls in 2022.

He transferred to Auburn a year ago and was one of the better returners in the SEC. He also made an impact in the locker room.

“He was probably one of the best teammates I’ve had on the team,” Tigers defensive lineman Keldric Faulk said.

Battie didn’t know many players when he arrived, but he quickly made friends away from the facility. Faulk described him as fun, energetic and genuine — all things that made his shooting even harder to process.

“When that happened, it was a traumatic part of our team,” Faulk said. “You never expect it to be one of your teammates. When it is, you don’t know how to handle it. We pray for him every day. We keep him in our thoughts. I can’t wait to see him back up here.”

• • •

Sign up for the Sports Today newsletter to get…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/auburn-tigers-t-wait-see-150000305.html

Author : Tampa Bay Times, St. Petersburg, Fla.

Publish date : 2024-07-19 15:00:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.