A few words about the death of Jasper Howard on the second anniversary of his death
by Andrew Porter on Oct 18, 2011 11:19 AM EDT
in UConn Huskies Football
Email
PrintToday is the second anniversary of the murder of Jasper Howard. The piece below was originally published last year on the first anniversary of his death. Today UConnHuskies.com has a memorial feature up, you can find it here: Remembering Jazz two years later.
As we noted in TheRoundUp, today is the one-year anniversary of the murder of Jasper Howard. I'm not sure I have all that much I can add to what's been written around Connecticut today, but I did want to take a chance to make special note of it and repost the above video.
I still remember last year when I woke up to find my phone buzzing with news that something had happened to Howard and it wasn't good. As the news started to trickle in from Facebook, Twitter and the Boneyard, it became clear just how big of a tragedy had occured.
I didn't know Howard, but after all I've read, I sure wish I did. By all accounts he seems like a sincere and genuine young man who worked incredibly hard to get to where he did. He came out of one of the worst neighborhoods in Miami with a dream to make life better for his family -- including the baby daughter he'll never get to meet -- and he seemed to be well on his way.
In a just world, Howard would be in the middle of an all-conference senior season right now, and in a year's time he'd be playing on Sundays. Sadly, this isn't a just world, so today will be spent honoring the memory of someone taken from this world far too soon.
Rest in peace Jazz.
4 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
As much as we've criticized the way he left
the way Randy Edsall handled the entire Jasper Howard situation was pitch perfect. No one in the country could have done a better job. That video from after the Notre Dame game always gives me goosebumps.
by Andrew Porter on Oct 18, 2011 11:20 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
R.I.P. Jasper Howard
I ’d like to repost what I typed in the original post from last year as well…
I was back in Storrs for homecoming that weekend and out late with some friends that Saturday night. We just so happened to be walking near the library when we saw a large stream of people coming out the Student Union at around 12:30. I remember thinking that was strange and commenting on it, but thought nothing of it at the time and continued on to my destination. Much later that night, I was with some current students at the time and one of them received the UConn alert text that a student had been stabbed (I believe that was the exact wording). Again, no names were mentioned or location, so only felt a little sad that something like that could happen at Storrs, but thought nothing really of it.
Early the next morning, like Andrew, I started receiving texts that something had happened to Howard, something real bad. I did a quick online search and came across a story about it. My memory of the exact timeline is a little hazy, but I believe that story only mentioned him being stabbed, so I immediately connected it to the alert text. However, when more detailed reports about when it happened and the fact that he had died from the wounds came out, I was floored. I realized I had been maybe 100 yards away from the incident, since I had seen the flow of people coming out from the fire drill being pulled. Also, nothing like this had EVER happened on campus during my time there or in a long time. It was stunning that such a thing could happen on our quiet campus.
Overall, it is such a sad story because as has been said numerous times that Howard had done what few where he grew up had done and escaped a very tough neighborhood into what appeared to be a bright future playing on Sundays. To survive the dangers of where he grew up and have this happen in such a seemingly nonviolent community is probably the saddest part of the story.
R.I.P. Jasper Howard
2011 National Champs in Men's Basketball
START NEBRICH
18-1
1967: Embrace it
A sad loss for his family, friends and teammates.
I never knew him, but see how much he affected everyone whose life he touched.
RIP #6.
call me at 1-800-328-7448! and really, have a NICE day!
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
