8 Years After Losing Son to G-n Violence, Mike Locksley Fights Back Tears in Emotional Tribute

In 2017, Mike Locksley was the co-OC and WRs coach for Alabama, and the team opened its season with a statement 24-7 win against Florida State at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta. Immediately after that win, Locksley dialed his son, Mieko, whom he called a “football junkie,” and asked, “Hey, did you watch the game?” His 25-year-old son straight up replied, “Man, you guys looked good, Pops…You guys got a chance to probably win it all.” The phone call was the last time Locksley talked to his son, and several hours later, three officers from the University of Alabama Police Department were at Locksley’s door.

Mike and his family were always worried about Meiko ever since he was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder at 22. The now-Maryland head coach, who had his wife Kia, along with Mike Jr, Meiko’s half-brother, Kori, Meiko’s sister, the youngest in the family, and Meiko’s younger brother, Kai, was worried about Meiko. And yet, no one treated him differently. “I wanted to be so much like him and follow behind him so much,” said Kai about Meiko. But when the police arrived at Mike Locksley’s home that night, the news about Meiko’s death was hard to accept for the family. And 8 years since that day, the family is still grieving Meiko’s unexpected loss.

ESPN senior writer Heather Dinich wrote a heartfelt piece back in 2018 about the loss of Meiko and how Locksley and his family members coped with it. 8 years since, on the same day that Locksley got the news about his son’s death, Heather Dinich shared the tribute video for Meiko on her X account. “Thinking of ⁦ @CoachLocks and ⁦@Klocksley ⁩ today as they continue to grieve and heal and remember Meiko … Locksley finds solace in football after death of son,” wrote Heather Dinich. Locksley couldn’t help but thank Dinich for her role in remembering his son.

“@CFBHeather, thanks for the beautiful piece you did on Meik in 2018!! Keeps his name and memories alive…” wrote Locksley on his X account. Meiko was always a gifted individual ever since his childhood, and started reading when he was just 4, finishing his first Harry Potter book at age 6. Not just that, from childhood, Meiko was active in acting, modeling, and writing poetry. Locksley described Meiko’s childhood as having “very few bad days.” Later in his career, Meiko excelled in football. For Lockley, his son was destined to do big things, as he described Meiko’s childhood as having “very few bad days.” As for Meiko, his final calling was still football.

Having played for the University of New Mexico when Locksley was its head coach gave Meiko the platform to showcase his footballing skills. In total, Meiko appeared in 11 games in 2011 and later went on to play for Lackawanna College. Despite that career trajectory, Meiko’s schizoaffective diagnosis when he was 22 meant managing football became challenging. So much so that Locksley described his son’s condition as being unable to distinguish “reality from myth.” Despite that condition, Meiko’s shocking death wasn’t because of his mental health challenges.

Mike Locksley’s family is still without answers about their Meiko’s death

According to reports, on September 3rd, 2017, in Columbia, Maryland, Meiko was allegedly shot and killed, leading to a prolonged investigation into his death. The Howard County Police did list several motives, ranging from “robbery” and “drug-related issues,” but nothing substantial was found. And now it has been 8 years since the Locksley family has been in search of the accused for Meiko’s death.

“The anger that comes along with having a son murdered and no answers….This is my soul. And this is the one thing that allows my mind to not think about what happened, why it happened — the anger that comes along with having a son murdered and no answers,” said Mike Locksley to ESPN. For the Maryland head coach, coping with his son’s loss wasn’t easy, and football then became an escape that later helped give a fitting tribute to Meiko.

Just as Meiko predicted, led by Locksley, Alabama went on to win the national title against Georgia in 2017 in an overtime thriller. A notable moment in the game came when defensive end Tony Brown, who had written Meiko’s name on his glove, caught an interception and secured the ball with the same hand in which Meiko’s name was written. It was truly a fitting tribute for Meiko and for Mike Locksley; it came with some cause for celebration after a tough year following his son’s loss.