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Ohio State football's Carnell Tate thanks everyone for support after mother's tragic death

joey kaufman, columbus dispatch
·2 min read
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Mar 7, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Carnell Tate (17) runs a route during spring football drills at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch
Mar 7, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Carnell Tate (17) runs a route during spring football drills at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch

Ohio State wide receiver Carnell Tate on Monday posted a thank you for the support he received following the death of his mother earlier this month.

“I would like to thank everyone that has reached out to me over the past week showing their love and support,” he wrote on X, the social-media platform formerly known as Twitter. “I appreciate all of you guys!”

Ashley Griggs, the mother of Tate, was killed during a drive-by shooting in Chicago in the early morning hours on July 16.

Police said an occupant of a vehicle fired into a crowd of people who were leaving an event, gunshots that would fatally wound Griggs. WGN quoted Andrew Holmes, a community activist, in first reporting the woman killed was Tate's mother.

A police spokesperson said in an email Monday that an investigation into the shooting remains ongoing.

Tate is a freshman for the Buckeyes who enrolled in January in order to participate in spring practice.

At the Big Ten’s media days last week, Ohio State coach Ryan Day said the tragedy had not been easy for Tate.

“He and his mom were very close,” Day said. “When you lose somebody close to you like that, it just takes the rug out from underneath you, and I know that happened to Carnell. He does have a team that's here to support. We've all kind of surrounded him and tried to help them the best we can. He’s a pretty private person as well.

“We've had guys who have gone through similar situations, and you have to go through a process of grieving. We've talked about that. That's not easy, but I think football has allowed him a distraction to kind of get his mind off of it when he's not in his room or back in Chicago.”

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Contact him at jkaufman@dispatch.com or on Twitter @joeyrkaufman.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Carnell Tate thanks everyone for support after mother's tragic death