Tyler Hilinski's family writes emotional letter thanking Cougars fans for their support
The Washington State community was rocked by the death of quarterback Tyler Hilinski in January. The Junior died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his apartment.
Following his death, the a large contingent of Cougars fans came out to celebrate his life at a candlelight vigil. On Sunday, his family wrote a letter to all those fans, thanking them for their support and remembering Hilinski for his contributions on and off the field.
The letter is too long to replicate in its entirety, but you can read the whole thing over on the SB Nation blog CougCenter.
After thanking the fans for their support over the past month and a half, the Hilinski family says no one should be “mad or angry” at Tyler.
We wish we could tell you what happened. The reality is we simply don’t know. He didn’t quit. He didn’t give up on you. For some reason, he had no choice but to leave us. Don’t waste a second thinking he was weak. People leave for many reasons. We will spend a lifetime trying to understand this. Don’t be mad or angry; he didn’t do this to you or to us. He was not well in a way not one of us knew. He fought bravely … but ultimately, he lost alone.
It ends with, “Your Coug Family Forever. GO COUGS!”
Hilinski played in eight games with the Cougars in 2017. He threw for 1,176 yards, with seven touchdowns against seven interceptions. Hilinski was 21.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
