Heart goes out to the Texas A&M Aggies, it really does. The school can’t catch a break over what’s been a fateful weekend. Headlined, of course, by their No. 1-ranked softball team crashing out to Liberty in the NCAA Regional round in unprecedented fashion. The first-ever #1 team to lose in this round. The ‘curse’ of A&M continues. But some extremely somber news that trumps the gravitas and sorrow of this loss has just reverberated over to College Station. Sports, as heartbreaking as they can be, don’t take precedence over real life.

The 12th man and the rest of the College Football sphere have just received word of an unexpected passing. Former Texas A&M safety Brian Williams has abruptly died. Williams was part of the Aggies’ recruiting class of 2019 and a 4-star prospect. Although the Bishop Dunne alum’s high school ranking didn’t quite translate with linearity, Williams left an imprint on the team and program. He donned the famous maroon and white over 20 times. Most importantly, “B Will”, as he went by, touched people around him.

In the aftermath of this horrible tragedy, his brother and fellow football player Rawleigh Williams III and former A&M teammate Leon O’Neal Jr. were among many who showed love and sent condolences. Rawleigh Williams took to IG to post an emotional message. Alongside a plethora of pictures of him and Brian Williams, from children to young adults. A couple of the pictures are of B Will seemingly as the best man at his wedding, which makes his death even more saddening. One picture includes the Williams family at Kyle Field. Rawleigh Williams accompanied these images with a heartfelt caption.

“B you are my heart. The BEST version of us in every single way B. I don’t think I can make it without you but I’m going to try for our parents and our sister. I love you brother,” he wrote. To bid adieu to your younger brother so soon is unbelievably unfortunate. Hopefully, he can find some solace. Meanwhile, Brian Williams’ aforementioned teammate Leon O’Neal Jr. took to X and expressed his grief. “Rest easy brother B Will 😔🤞🏽🖤” wrote O’Neal. He, too, played safety for the Aggies. So that bond between the two, forged in the secondary, must’ve been intrinsic.

The details around what caused Brian Williams’ death are currently inconspicuous. His family and loved ones deserve the privacy to keep this that way at this moment. Again, we hope they can find solace to deal with this travesty. May B Will’s soul rest in peace. Begrudgingly, this isn’t the only bad news pertaining to a Texas A&M alum to spawn over the weekend. Another of Brian Williams and Leon O’Neal Jr.’s teammates, Conner Weigman, has been hit with some very unwelcome circumstances.

Brian Williams’ passing piles onto another tragedy involving a Texas A&M student

Current Houston and former Texas A&M quarterback Conner Weigman’s girlfriend Hope Griffin is battling some real adversity. She allegedly fell off the roof of her house and suffered a severe injury to her spinal cord. Griffin had to be flown and then admitted into the trauma ICU, and remains there. It’s in the balance whether she’d ever be able to walk again. Hope Griffin is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business administration and management from Texas A&M itself.

The Griffin family has set up a GoFundMe page to facilitate the extensive aid and treatment she’d now require. “We are raising funds to support Hope and her family as they navigate this new reality. Her path forward includes surgeries, ongoing medical care, intensive rehab & physical therapy, adaptive equipment, and home modifications to help support her journey to regain full mobility. Every dollar will go directly to her medical expenses, rehabilitation, travel needs, and the specialized care she’ll need to make a full recovery. We want her family to focus on what truly matters: healing, faith, and being together,” reads an excerpt from said GoFundMe. A ton of Texas A&M affiliates and just general good Samaritans have already contributed.

The Brian Williams news and this incident involving Hope Griffin really put things into perspective for any Aggie sulking over the softball loss. Hopefully, this flurry of depressing developments involving the school has now ceased.