(WFXR) — It’s been nearly three months since the deaths of Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis — and D’Sean Perry. The UVA football players gunned down in a shooting that killed them and hurt two others. For the first time since the death of his players, Cavaliers head coach Tony Elliott sits down for a one on one interview with WFXR Sports Director Jermaine Ferrell to talk grief and healing in the wake of tragedy.
Tony Elliott-I am very proud of the team. It was a very tramadic experience we were involved in. Still we have a long way to go. There is still a lot of healing that needs to take place. I think the guys came back with an immediate amount of joy. They have a great spirit about themselves. Same thing with the staff. We had a break and they needed it to be able to try to get away for a minute and get out of the intensity of what just happened. But still it is something that is going to linger. It is going to be with us. It is not something we just move on from. We have go to move forward and we are very conscience of the families of the three young men. Also still our staff and our familes and the players and their families. I think the guys have done the right things while they were away to get their mindset working on where it needs to be and how we need to move forward and honor the young men we lost with the way we play.
Jermaine Ferrell-Now when all of this stuff happened, it was a Sunday Night, what were you doing when you go the word when you heard about the shooting?
Elliott-I remember it like it was yesterday to be honest with you. I just got home and there was a football game on. I warmed up a couple of slices of pizza. I set down and my phone rang and I looked at it. I recognized it was one of the players. I picked it up. You are anticipating a call with a question about something. They might be telling you, I havea field trip that I have to go on or I have a class assignment or I have a question. I was not expecting the call that I got to see from one of your players. Obviously very, very shaken. To get the information you never wanted to here. I told them I am on the way just send me your location. I jumped into the car. Along the way I called Captain Blakeny as I was in route to the location I had and kinda the reality set in once I got on grounds.
Ferrell-Now you havea plan to honor these players. If you could tell us a little bit about the plan what goes to doing that.
Elliott-The plan is still on going. Because this is something that is not a one year deal. This is forever Virginia football a part of the program going forward. In the short term, the immediate it was the right thing to do to have those numbers memorialized and obviously there will be some long term things that will be done with it and the numbers when ever that number is present I want to feel like the young men and their families will be acknowledged. So there will be patches. There will be decals on the back of their helmets and as a rememberence that has been comprised of the administration and the institution to continue to think about ways going forward not just on game days but just long term throughout Virginia Football on how to honor these guys.
