Coach: Liberty player’s death not football-related

The death of a freshman football player at Liberty University was not football-related, first-year Flames coach Jamey Chadwell said Friday.

Chadwell said the team learned of the death of Tajh Boyd, 19, from Chesapeake, Virginia, on Saturday. He declined to give further details about the offensive lineman, who enrolled in January, saying he wanted to respect the privacy of the player’s family.

A spokesperson for the Lynchburg police said this week that police had looked into the death and determined a criminal investigation was not necessary.

“It’s been a challenging time not only for our staff, our players and just our whole community trying to comprehend all the different things have been going on,” Chadwell said at a news conference.

“He made a huge impact on the team. He was very quiet as far as an outwardly quietness, but when he was one-on-one with his teammates, he lit up the room. He had a very giving heart and if there was something that anybody was going through on the team, he was always there.”

Funeral arrangements have not been made yet, and Chadwell said when they are, the coaching staff will rearrange the team’s schedule to be a part of it.

“Obviously we’re trying to get a team ready, but also we’re trying to make sure that we’re understanding the different feelings that different groups might have and how to navigate that,” Caldwell said.

Chadwell said some members of the team have availed themselves of counseling services made available by the university. The team also held a service the day after learning of Boyd’s death.

The Flames are scheduled to open the season at home against Bowling Green on Sept. 2.