In a primetime game in December, former Harrison High School football state champion Bryce Stanfield made his NFL debut.
But not in the way his family had pictured when he was growing up.
“Bryce was a picture-perfect, healthy athlete in the prime of his college athletics career. He was going to be a senior in his senior year at Furman," Terri Stanfield said.
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Her son died in Feb. 2024 after he collapsed during a college football practice at Furman University. He was just 21 years old.
“Bryce had been complaining of muscle strains, shortness of breath. Felt like he was going to pass out, some dizziness, and just some overall fatigue," his mother told Channel 2’s Alison Mastrangelo.
The doctors determined that Bryce died from a massive blood clot. They said the blood clot extended down both of his legs and a large piece of the clot broke off and traveled to his heart.
“They call that a saddle embolism, and they’re almost always fatal,” Terri Stanfield said.
[PREVIOUS STORY: Cause of death released for college football player from Cobb County who collapsed during workout]
Bryce had dreams of one day playing in the NFL. This year, through the cleats of his former Furman teammate and now-Patriots long snapper Julian Ashby, part of Bryce’s legacy made it onto the field.
Ashby chose to honor him during the NFL’s My Cause, My Cleats weekend. Ashby designed his cleats featuring Bryce’s No. 97 jersey and the motto “Stanfield Strong” and “Be Like Bryce.”
The cleats are part of how to honor his late friend and raise awareness for the National Blood Clot Alliance.
“If I could take a piece of him out there with me, then I think that’s him getting to live out part of his dream and you know, certainly what he was striving for. And I try to keep, you know, just the frailty of life in that sense, in my mind each day and don’t take any of these days for granted. Bryce gave his all each and every day right," Ashby said.
The Patriots long snapper invited Bryce’s parents to come to the game against the Giants. They got the chance to see him in person take the field in Gillette Stadium while also honoring their Bryce.
“They are the coolest cleats ever, but my favorite part was just to see Julian take the field wearing them. It was like he was taking a little bit of Bryce’s energy onto the field with him, and we are just so grateful to Julian, to the New England Patriots, and to the National Blood Clot Alliance," Terri Stanfield said.
Ashby gave Bryce’s mother the cleats he wore that night. She will put them in a special area of the house with Bryce’s sports memorabilia in a glass case.
For more information on blood clots, head over to Stoptheclot.org
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