Virginia RB Mike Hollins leads teammates out of the tunnel in first game after November shooting
Three Virginia players were killed and Hollins was one of two people wounded in the shooting
Virginia running back Mike Hollins led his teammates out of the tunnel for their season-opening game against Tennessee.
Saturday’s game against the Vols is the first for Hollins and the Cavaliers since three Virginia players were killed and Hollins was wounded in an on-campus shooting last November. Virginia players Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D’Sean Perry were killed when Christopher Darnell Jones allegedly opened fire on a bus after a class field trip to Washington D.C.
Mike Hollins led Virginia out of the tunnel before today's game🧡
Hollins is playing in his first game since he survived a gunshot wound in an on-campus shooting that took the lives of three of his teammates. pic.twitter.com/6nxJHFr2Aq— ESPN (@espn) September 2, 2023
Jones, who spent a year as a walk-on on the Virginia football team, is facing numerous charges, including three counts of second-degree murder. Virginia canceled its final two games of the season after the shooting and finished the season at 3-7.
Hollins was one of two people wounded in the shooting and was shot in the abdomen. He was able to return to the football field for spring practice and fall camp. He even scored a touchdown during Virginia’s spring game and is opening the season as the team’s No. 2 running back. He had four carries on Saturday for minus-7 yards as the Cavaliers lost 49-13.
In April, the NFL honored Chandler, Davis and Perry in a special moment before the 2023 Draft. All three players’ families were brought on stage and presented with personalized jerseys of the players’ favorite teams. Chandler’s family received a Jacksonville Jaguars jersey, Davis’ family received a Baltimore Ravens jersey and Perry’s family received a Miami Dolphins jersey.
