128 college athletes took their own lives over the past 20 years—an unthinkable number that rivals every championship banner flying in their arenas. Among them was Kyren Lacy, whose promise as an LSU receiver was eclipsed by a tragic spiral of legal troubles and untreated distress, ending on April 12 in a Houston police chase turned fatal. In conversation with Carmelo Anthony, a New York Giants star tore through the pretense of NFL glamour to confess that his greatest play might have been simply staying behind to hold a friend’s hand. If only he’d known how much it mattered

In the latest episode of 7PM in Brooklyn, Melo welcomed New York Giants star Malik Nabers—himself part of LSU’s vaunted receiver pipeline—onto the podcast, and turned the conversation to giving back. Citing LSU’s “wide receiver factory” that has produced Odell Beckham Jr., Ja’Marr Chase, and Justin Jefferson, Melo urged,

“My question is, the fact that y’all have this factory like the turnover wide receivers, why the f— y’all don’t come back and do something? If y’all just had a wide receiver school with just LSU receivers alone.”

Anthony noted that under head coach Brian Kelly, LSU has signed top-10 receiver recruits from all over the country. They most recently secured commitments from two top-10 prospects in the 2026 class alone. Yet he lamented that these players seldom give back to their alma mater after turning pro

“Nah y’all sign every receiver in the f—— country…Y’all can’t keep letting that type of like y’all got to give back to that,” if LSU is to remain “WRU,” (Wide Receiver University) its beneficiaries must invest their time and resources back into the program that recruited them and helped refine their talents

He further suggested that older players should reach out to young players more. Melo specifically mentioned this in light of the recent incident involving former LSU wide receiver Kyren Lacy. 

“We at the 7PM family want to extend our condolences to you and your brother, man. Kyren Lacy.” As per ESPN, late on April 12, 2025, former LSU wide receiver Kyren Lacy, 24, discharged a firearm into the ground during a verbal dispute, prompting a family member to call Houston police. When officers arrived, Lacy had fled the scene in a vehicle and was pursued by authorities before crashing, at which point they found he’d passed away from an apparent self-inflicted g–shot wound in his car.

The conversation flowed to how the incident impacted Nabers till eventually, Carmelo Anthony added his advice. “Which is why I said earlier about reaching back. Doing something now, because you can’t sit there with that. And the only way you can give back to that is by galvanizing others, that’s coming after that.” Melo believes it’s the perfect opportunity for Nabers and his compatriots to reach out to their juniors before it’s too late, “You have a big opportunity to step up to the plate like, ‘look man, we doing this for bro.'” The platform gave Nabers the opportunity to be completely vulnerable to the 7PM crew, too.

Malik Nabers opened up about his regrets 

With heavy hearts, several NFL players and college stars took to social media to mourn the loss of their dear friend. Former LSU receiver Kyren Lacy’s sudden death on April 12 was tough for everyone who knew him. 

Mixed with shock and pain, Giants star Malik Nabers expressed his one regret during an appearance on NBA legend Carmelo Anthony’s podcast, 7PM in Brooklyn.

“Bro, I regret leaving. I regret leaving school because I knew that if I had been there — if we had been there — it would have changed. Like, that’s probably my biggest regret. I’m not going to say it’s definite, but it’s probably my biggest regret — just not taking him with us when we left for the draft,” he said. 

Lacy, too, had the same dream of joining the NFL But Nabers isn’t alone in his grief. Following news of Lacy’s passing, Jayden Daniels (Washington Commanders QB) called Lacy “a brother” and urged fans to check on loved ones’ mental health. Odell Beckham Jr., another LSU alumnus, posted on X (formerly Twitter), “RIP Kyren. Gone too soon, brother. We love you.”. Giants teammates Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepherd shared emotional Instagram tributes, recalling Lacy’s infectious smile and work ethic.

Nabers admitted that leaving Baton Rouge and LSU’s support network left both him and Lacy more vulnerable: “I’m not going to say it’s definite, but if I had stayed—if we had been there—it would have changed”. Analysts note that Lacy had shown promise at LSU’s pro day in March 2025, raising hopes he’d land an NFL deal; the pending charges then clouded his future.

Carmelo Anthony’s impassioned plea on his podcast to “reach back” and “galvanize” teammates before they spiral resonates as more than podcast rhetoric. It is a rallying cry born of a friendship cut tragically short and a systemic failure to safeguard athlete well-being. NFL rookie Malik Nabers confessed on air, the haunting “what if” of having stayed behind to hold a friend’s hand speaks volumes about our collective responsibility and the heavy cost of our silence