The football community is a tight-knit one whose members always show up when someone needs support. Two Penn State veterans reunited over the weekend at an important event for the community. Former Nittany Lions star LB LaVar Arrington turned up to support his fellow teammate as they honored the latter’s departed daughter. The two started out together almost 20 years ago and have also drifted apart with the passage of time. But their friendship remains the same, even today.

Arrington and Brandon Short played at Penn State for 3 years, from 1997 to 1999. Arrington became an elite player for the Nittany Lions during that time, making daring plays. He also invented a signature play of his own – The LaVar Leap, which was conceived in an Illinois game. At the end of their careers in 2006, both of them played for the New York Giants. Short moved away from football after his NFL career. He turned to finance, working with Goldman Sachs for a while. Short also moved to the UAE briefly afterward.

Short, however, faced a tragic incident later on in his life. His daughter, Karli Short, was murdered in 2021. She was 26 years old and was going to welcome her first child too. The former NFLer still found the courage to create something valuable for the community in light of the incident. He and his wife, Mahreen, started the Karli Short Better Tomorrow Foundation, which extends scholarships to PSU students who are dealing with the repercussions of gun violence. Until 2024, 5 students from the Greater Allegheny campus were awarded the scholarship.

This year was the fourth edition of the charity’s fundraising event. Arrington attended the event to show support for his dear friend, stepping in as the program’s emcee. “Brandon’s my guy,” he says in a June 15 video of Nittany Sports Now. “[It’s] an unfortunate situation… But out of tragedy can come triumph. And the fact that he took something that is so heartbreaking and had turned it into something so positive, you know, is a beautiful thing,” Arrington added. “He’s my brother, he’s not just my teammate.”

The NFL star also shared that they, in fact, know each other from their high school days. And to this date, they remain close. “I love him to death. And I love him because of all the things that we’ve had to go through and we’ve encountered and have overcome.”

LaVar Arrington regarded Karli to be a reserved and respectful person, and thought that she would probably say, “Y’all don’t need to be doing all this.” “But knowing how Brandon is and probably the things that he instilled in her, there’s somebody else out there that’s going through this, and this is going to help a lot of people. So, I think in her heart of hearts, she’s somewhere right now, and she’s proud of her dad,” he added. Short, too, hopes that her legacy is carried forward the right way.

Brandon Short’s message to his late daughter and LaVar Arrington

The Karli Short Better Tomorrow Foundation is growing steadily. Its first event was held at PSU’s Greater Allegheny campus, which is in Brandon Short’s hometown of McKeesport. Since last year, the foundation has also expanded to students on the University Park campus. “[Gun] violence continues to impact the lives of too many young people, but with over $800,000 raised to date, we can offer scholarships and hope to more students who are trying to create a better tomorrow for themselves and their families,” Short said last year.

“We believe that the best way to celebrate Karli is to help these students overcome trauma and loss and pursue their dreams,” he added. At the fundraising event this year, Short also spoke about how he thought Karli would’ve taken to this initiative. “She would be overjoyed. So many people know her and carry on her name. Through her, we’re having a positive effect on people’s lives. She would be thrilled,” he told Nittany Sports Now.

Short also regarded his longtime friend as his brother—a relationship that extends mutually between the two. “LaVar is my brother. I mean, he’s more than my brother. He’s one of the brothers that I chose,” he said. Short recalled that he also held Arrington’s son, LaVar Arrington II, as a baby. He will now make his debut at PSU as well. Their relationship is proof of how strong the bond is between two athletes who see the highs and lows in each other’s lives together. Brandon Short is giving back to the community after facing the blows of gun violence firsthand. Many more students who are in the same boat now stand to prosper because of Short’s noble gesture.