By ETHAN MARSHALL
Clayton Beathard, a quarterback and junior at LIU, died in Nashville, Tennessee, after getting stabbed during a fight outside a bar early Saturday, the police said. He was 22.
“Clay had such an important impact in our family in such a short period of time,” LUI head football coach Bryan Collins said in a statement.
“His love of life, people, especially his teammates, was such a shining light in our program. We will miss his passion for life, the outdoors and the game of football. He approached every practice and game with a chip on his shoulder. Clay will be missed by the LIU community and we are proud to know he will have our backs. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Beathard family.”
According to Newsday, Beathard, along with Paul Traneni III, 21, and Alvin Jefferson Bethurum, 21, were reportedly stabbed during a fight outside the Dogwood Bar & Grill in Nashville around 2:50 a.m. on Saturday. All three were transported to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, but Beathard and Traneni died from their injuries. Bethurum was treated and discharged.
The Nashville Police Department released a statement Sunday asking for the public’s help in finding Michael D. Mosley, 23, for questioning. Mosley had been identified as being in the bar shortly before the fight and outside the bar when the fight occurred.
According to the Nashville Police Department, the fight outside the bar stemmed from a man making unwanted advances toward a woman. A surveillance video of the bar shows Mosley talking to a woman at one point that night.
Some friends and teammates of Beathard have taken to social media to mourn their loss. Alex Daubon, a wide receiver for LIU and Beathard’s roommate, posted a series of pictures and videos on Instagram of them hanging out together, as well as Beathard’s last text to him. “You kept it real with me from the day that we first talked. Before we got to school, I used to call you all the time geeked for spring ball to start and other times just to check up on you,” Daubon wrote. “So many questions running through my head right now. Gone too soon. Love you forever bro.”
Clayton’s family has an accomplished history in football and country music. His grandfather, Bobby Beathard, is a four-time Super Bowl-winning general manager and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His father, Casey Beathard, is a country music songwriter. His brother, C.J., is a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers of the NFL. Additionally, his other brother, Tucker, is a country music singer and songwriter.
