Purdue quarterback Aidan O'Connell remains away from team following brother's death
Purdue quarterback Aidan O’Connell played in the Boilermakers regular season finale against Indiana on Saturday after the unthinkable happened for O’Connell and his family earlier in the week: his older brother, Sean, died.
O’Connell plans to play for Purdue in the Big Ten Championship Game this weekend against Michigan in Indianapolis, according to various reports. In the meantime, though, he’s spending time with family and is not with the team.
“He’s back home now visiting with family and processing all that,” Purdue offensive coordinator Brian Brohm said, according to Gold and Black’s Tom Dienhart. “He’ll come back when he’s ready. It was amazing what he did last week. I’m sure he’ll be ready to go in this game.”
The fact that O’Connell played against Indiana after his brother’s death didn’t come to light until the quarterback himself shared what happened on Sunday after the game.
In a message posted by Purdue football on Twitter, O’Connell announced the death of his brother and shared a brief bit about him.
“Sean was not only one of Purdue Football’s biggest fans, but he was a better son, brother and friend. He lit up any room he walked in and all that knew him testify to his contagious joy. We trust the Lord to provide strength and hope, and we appreciate your thoughts and prayers during this time,” O’Connell said, in part.
That football matters in a time like this isn’t fair, but it’s the way things are and Purdue will be better for having O’Connell on the field.
While a number of quarterbacks have played for Purdue this season, O’Connell, a sixth-year senior, is the guy that makes the offense tick. He’s completed nearly 64% of his passes and thrown 22 touchdowns along with 3124 yards. He has thrown 11 interceptions, though five of those came in a two-game stretch, likely the nadir of O’Connell’s season on the field.
But none of that is nearly as important as the reason O’Connell is at home right now, in the first place.