NFL Players Say Goodbye to Patriot
Many Attend Saturday Funeral of New England DE Marquise Hill
Defensive end Marquise Hill of the New England Patriots was laid to rest on June 2 after drowning in Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans.
Marquise Hill, 24, was best known as a defensive end for the New England Patriots, but people gathered on June 2, 2007 to remember Hill's unique contributions to society as a person and a football player.
Hill's body was recovered on Memorial Day, a day after he drowned following a jetski accident on New Orleans' Lake Pontchartrain. The coroner's office reported bruising on Hill's head and speculated that he might have sustained a concussion while in the water and become disoriented.
Hill was the father of a 2-year-old boy and a member of the Louisiana State University 2005 national championship football team.
Nearly all of his New England Patriots teammates came to pay their respects, as did several of his former LSU teammates, some of whom are now playing for NFL teams. His former coach at LSU, current Alabama coach Nick Saban, was also in attendance.
Perhaps Hill's LSU teammate, Ben Wilkerson, spoke for all the players gathered to pay their respects when he addressed Hill's mother, Sherry.
"Ms. Hill, you know, you lost a son," Wilkerson said. "But if you look to your right, you have so many sons over there. He was our brother. He was our family. It will be a journey with him not with us any more. But he wants us to be strong because he was such a strong person."
It is always sad when a young person passes away in their prime by accidental means, as Hill did. We tend to think of football players as tough, invincible beings, almost immortal as they take a beating on the field week after week and still come out strong every time.
It is even more sad that Hill leaves behind a young son who will have limited memories of his father, if any at all. One hopes that the youngster will find himself surrounded by family members who love him and will talk to him about what his father meant to those around him, and how much he meant to his father.
Incidents like this serve as a reminder that nobody is invincible. It forces us to consider our own immortality. We evaluate where are lives are, and where we want them to be. Frequently we find that where we are is not where we want to be, and we are spurred into action by the reminder that we are not going to be on this earth forever. It makes us better people.
