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17-Year-Old Georgia Tech Football Recruit Bryce Gowdy’s Death Ruled A Suicide

The teen’s mother says he was “talking crazy” and worried about his family’s financial situation.

Several reports have confirmed 17-year-old Georgia Tech football recruit Bryce Gowdy’s death was by suicide. 

Gowdy was struck by a freight train just after 4 a.m. on Monday (December 30) in Deerfield Beach. He was taken to a local hospital where he died.

RELATED: Bryce Gowdy, Incoming Georgia Tech Freshman, Dead At 17

Gowdy was set to enroll at Tech next week and begin his college career. Now family and friends are left wondering what was going on with the young man who seemingly had his entire future ahead of him. 

A distraught Shibbon Winelle, his mother, said in a since deleted video posted on her Facebook page that Bryce had been “talking crazy” and “talking in circles” about life, according to the Sun Sentinel.

Despite heading to Tech on scholarship, Bryce was worried about his family’s financial situation. He and his family were living out of a vehicle and hotel prior to his death. 

“He had a lot of questions about spirituality and life,” Winelle said, fighting through tears while saying her family was currently homeless and living out of a car. “He kept asking if I was going to be okay, if his brothers were going to be okay.”    

Bryce’s uncle Thomas Gowdy said there was a lot of family pressure on the teenager, in an interview with NBC News, referring to his nephew as the “head of the household.”

"There was neglect from one side [of the family] and too much responsibility from the other side," he said. "You could never see this coming, no matter how much you know the person."

Jevon Glenn, Deerfield Beach High School's head football coach, told NBC 6 on Wednesday (January 1) that he and his staff were aware of Bryce’s situation and tried to support him to get him through college.

"He had what looked like the opportunity of a lifetime to most kids, but he felt a burden and we talked about it that he’d be going off to Georgia Tech to stability, to free room and board, not worrying about food or money or anything like that," Glenn said. "But he’d be leaving his mother and brothers in an unstable situation."

Not only was Bryce dealing with the family’s financial struggle, but according to the video he and Winelle were having mental struggles as well. 

“I said, ‘Bryce, you have to dig within and fight these demons that you’re fighting.’ I told him I wasn’t strong enough to help him right now, and I have my own demons that I was trying to fight,” Winelle said in the video.

She said she told Gowdy to “get it together," “toughen up,” and that he needed to “get his mind right.” According to Winelle, he could see that he was upsetting her and tried to hold her hand.

“I wouldn’t let him hold my hand 'cause his energy was so intense,” she said in the video. “I could feel the pain in his soul and it was breaking my heart.”

Winelle sent Gowdy to the car to retrieve a blanket, and that would be the last time she saw her son. 

There has been an outpouring of support from all over to help the family. The GoFundMe page established to assist the family financially surpassed a goal of $50,000 and had reached nearly $85,000 as of Thursday (January 2) morning.

Glenn said there will be a candlelight vigil at the Deerfield Beach football stadium at 7 p.m. on Thursday. He said Gowdy’s funeral will be at 1 p.m. on Jan. 11 in the Deerfield Beach High auditorium, and it will be open to the public.

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