And the entire Shawnee team has “T.K.” on the back of their helmets.
Tyree King, 13, was killed in June 2015 when a drunk driver veered off the road and struck the Possum Middle School student-athlete while he was walking in a neighbor’s yard on South Yellow Springs Street in Springfield Twp. Charles Heard, 71, pleaded guilty to OVI and aggravated vehicular homicide charges last November and is serving the maximum sentence of eight years. His blood alcohol content level was more than twice the legal limit.
T.J., as Todd Jr. is known to friends and family, has relied on football to help deal with the loss of the brother with whom he shared much more than just jersey No. 14 — and to whom he has dedicated his football career.
“I go to the cemetery every Friday and talk to him before the game, to make him feel like he is with me during the game,” said T.J., a junior defensive back. “In the game, I play more aggressive. I’m taking everything out. I use the football field as my therapy.”
The brothers shared everything, including goals.
“Our goal was to go far in college football and maybe go pro,” said T.J. “So I work out for me and him. I put in double work, for me and for him.”
Tyree is constantly in T.J.’s thoughts. But the memories are not a distraction.
“I think about it constantly when I’m working out and on the field,” said T.J. “I feel like football is a way to relieve all my stress without getting in trouble. Plus I have to stay strong for my younger brother (Tre’von King, 12), to be there for him.”
The King family is drawing on football for consolation as well.
“That’s the only thing I get joy out of right now, one son (Tre’von) plays on Tuesdays and T.J.’s games are on Fridays,” said the brothers’ father, Todd King Sr. “We manage by sticking close together. It’s kind of dark over here all the time. It’s hard for all of us.”
Tyree’s oldest brother, Dorian King, 21, is going to the Ohio State Highway Patrol Academy to be a trooper because of how Tyree was taken from them, Todd said.
“We have kind of a shrine for him; his jersey is hanging up in the living room and his picture,” Todd said. “Tyree’s mom basically stays at the cemetery. It’s really tough on the youngest one (Tre’von); he don’t like talking about anything having to do with it.
“We’ve been through a lot of counseling over this,” he continued. “It’s still a day-by-day process. It’s still hard to believe.”
T.J.’s Shawnee teammates have been a big help.
“My whole team has been supportive,” he said. “My coaches check with me a lot, and they usually know when something is up and just have me do things on my own.
“A lot of times, I try to hide it,” he added. “(The King family has) that tough mentality. I don’t think anybody knows how I really feel.”
One teammate is on a similar path of grief, which has helped the two players bond.
“My friend Dominic Finch takes me to the cemetery every Friday,” said T.J. “His dad passed away at about the same time Tyree did. He can understand a little, but he doesn’t have all the visuals (of the accident), the details in his memory like I do with Tyree. That’s a really hard part.”
So T.J. copes by staying busy on the football field. He is a running back and defensive back, and also returns punts and kickoffs for the Braves. Friday night, he scored two touchdowns in a 35-0 win over Northwestern.
“He don’t leave the field,” Todd said proudly. “His grades are good, and he was already a hard-working football player, but he took it to another level. When he gets done with practice, he goes and runs three, four, five miles. He put his grief into football.”
But the painful reminders are still there. Just this past few days, Tyree’s photo was mistakenly posted by Black Lives Matter with a story about a 13-year-old boy with the same name from Columbus who was shot by police.
“That just brought it all back for us,” said Todd. “I had a breakdown about it yesterday Wednesday).”
Meanwhile, T.J. does his best to stay focused. His message to the world: “I do all of this for my brother and for my family. You can’t stop someone who never gives up.”
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