The local sports scene in Philadelphia was rocked to its core this week.
Terrence Butler, who was starting to get some serious attention in the college basketball world, was found dead in his Drexel campus apartment.
This is yet another seemingly healthy college athlete that is gone far too soon. This time, apparently by his own hand, as reported by CBS News.
Community Rocked
Having grown up in Philadelphia, I can tell you a death like this reverberates throughout the entire college community, not just the one school.
Drexel and schools like Penn, Temple, and Villanova may compete against each other, but a lot of these kids have been friends since high school, just going to a different university in the Philadelphia area.
Butler was one of the good ones, embracing his role as a community contributor, not just in school for hoops.
Drexel President John Fry stated, “On behalf of the entire Drexel community, we extend our deepest sympathy to Terrence’s family, friends, and teammates.
“In addition to being a student-athlete, Terrence was involved in numerous activities and organizations at Drexel and was a friend to many throughout the University community,” reported the New York Post.
Butler had battled some injuries in his first two seasons, so he and the team were hoping for a breakout season in 2023.
Mark Witalec, an employee at Drexel, stated, “Beautiful guy had a nice family.
“Everybody knew him, everybody on campus knew who he was, and he would treat everybody just the same. You know what I mean, good guy, family-oriented.”
Butler is survived by his parents, Terrence and Dena, and sisters, Tasia and Tiara.
Such a waste of enormous talent, and I simply do not understand why this generation struggles so badly with adversity to the point they would rather kill themselves than work their way out of the problem.
This is what happens when you coddle an entire generation who are then forced to deal with real-life issues for the first time in their late teens and early 20s.
