Luke Falk Sets Aside Senior Bowl to Attend Teammate Funeral
By Erik Lambert
Some things in life are more important than football. It’s nice to see that Washington State quarterback Luke Falk understands this.
There was no doubt that playing in the Senior Bowl was a huge opportunity for him. Most see him as a Day 2 to early Day 3 prospect at this point. Certainly, one who possesses intriguing qualities but not enough to entice a 1st round pick. Playing well down in Mobile would’ve started to get some people on his side. Instead, he decided to withdraw from the event before the actual game was to commence. His reason was about as selfless as it gets.
Falk was close with former teammate and backup quarterback Tyler Hilinski, who tragically committed suicide earlier in the week. He was just 21-years old and apparently shot himself in the head with a rifle. It’s a horrific incident that again reminds people how easy it is to miss the warning signs of those who are hurting on the inside. Falk recognized this more than most. Not only did he wear Hilinski’s number at Senior Bowl practices, he is now heading off to attend his funeral as well.
Per his agency, @Rep1Sports , WSU QB Luke Falk is withdrawing from the Senior Bowl today to fly back to California to be at the funeral services for Tyler Hilinski on Saturday in La Verne at Damien HS.
— Stefanie Loh ｜ 卢敏仪 (@StefanieLoh) January 26, 2018
Falk gesture sends the right message about priorities for a football player
It’s so easy to forget for many people that there is a life outside of football. A typical career for the best players lasts about a decade. So they’re not even 40-years old by the time they’re done playing. They have so much of their existence left to go. Football comprises only a small part of it. It’s important to recognize and embrace the other, more important aspects of it. Friendship being among the biggest. It is a good thing that Falk sees that.
It represents a level of maturity many don’t possess at his age. That’s not because people are terrible. It’s more because they can’t grasp that depth of feeling. Falk lost a friend and teammate he cared about. He wants to mourn the loss properly and show support to the family. Playing in what amounts to a meaningless game would’ve done little for anybody in the long run. This was far more important.