You can add to the list of “real-life shit” the Washington Football Team is currently dealing with.
Defensive end Montez Sweat‘s brother, Anthony, was killed on Tuesday in a shooting in Virginia. Henrico County police said they received 911 calls due to a shooting around 4 o’clock on Tuesday. Sweat was found dead at the scene with apparent gunshot wounds.
The death of Sweat’s brother comes just a week after Washington safety Deshazor Everett was involved in a car accident that resulted in the death of a passenger, Olivia S. Peters.
“You don’t really know what guys are going through on a personal level outside of this building, and when you see things with [Everett] and Montez, we’re all human and are going through things that are much bigger than football,” wide receiver Terry McLaurin said, via Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post. “Then you take into account the challenges that we have in this building and the expectations, and it can be a lot.
“I don’t think any of us use that as a crutch or an excuse because we know what comes with being a professional football player and the expectations that come with it. But it still does affect you, and you try to just compartmentalize the best you can. … We’re trying to support our brothers that aren’t here, praying for them, thinking about them, but we still have to try to gather ourselves and make something of the rest of these last two games.”
Sweat was excused from practice on Wednesday.
Washington plays the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.