LSU football coach Brian Kelly is speaking out for the first time after the death of player Kyren Lacy.
“Kyren was a bright star,” Kelly shared in a press conference on Tuesday, April 15, per TMZ. “He had an incredible personality. I’ll remember him as somebody that had a love for the game, a love for being a Tiger and was a guy that played with great emotion.”
Kelly, who has been the coach of LSU football since 2022, noted that when people think of the late wide receiver they’re “going to smile most of the time because of the way that he handled himself.”
“He was a guy that was full of energy,” he added.
While some of the players were set to meet with the media after Tuesday’s practice, Kelly filled in for them because he wanted to give the players more time to recover after Lacy’s death on Saturday, April 12.
“Everybody on our team has, in some way, had a relationship on different levels with Kyren,” the coach shared. “Everybody is going to deal with it differently, so first understanding that. There’s not one way you’re supposed to feel. We lean heavily on our professional counseling department. We brought them in, and having that resource here allows them to seek out that one-on-one conversation that some may need.”
Kyren Lacy #2 of the LSU Tigers celebrates a touchdown against the Mississippi Rebels in the first half at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on September 30, 2023 in Oxford, Mississippi. Jamie Schwaberow/Getty Images
Lacy’s relatives confirmed the LSU wide receiver’s death to local Louisiana outlet WAFB 9 on Sunday, April 13, with no details of his cause of death given at the time.
Less than one day after the tragic news broke, Us Weekly obtained a police report from Texas’ Harris County Sheriff’s Office sharing that deputies responded to a disturbance involving Lacy and a female family member “at approximately 11:15 PM Saturday [April 12].”
According to the report, the disturbance involved Lacy discharging “a firearm into the ground” before leaving the scene, situated within the Houston, Texas, area. A Harris County constable then spotted Lacy’s vehicle “at approximately 11:35 PM,” leading him to attempt a traffic stop. Deputies then claimed that Lacy refused to pull over, initiating a “vehicle pursuit [that] took place spanning several miles” and ended in a crash.
The report noted that “upon attempting to take Lacy into custody and remove him from the vehicle,” Lacy was “pronounced deceased at the scene.” The car Lacy was driving was registered and insured in his name. According to authorities, Lacy died of an apparent suicide.
Lacy’s death came days before he was scheduled to appear in front of a jury on Monday, April 14, following his alleged involvement in a car accident that took the life of 78-year-old Herman Hall in December 2024.
At the time, Lacy was arrested and charged with negligent homicide, felony hit-and-run and reckless driving. Authorities believed that Lacy may have caused the accident before fleeing the scene. The football player was released on a $151,000 bond and maintained his innocence until his death.
If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, you are not alone. Seek immediate intervention — call 911 for medical attention; 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline; or 1-800-662-HELP for the SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) National Helpline.
