Yahoo Finance College Football Player Brexten Green, 20, Dies in Cliff-Diving Accident: 'Devastating Loss'
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An Oklahoma community is mourning the loss of a college football player who died in a cliff-diving accident.
Emporia State University athlete Brexten Green, 20, died on July 2 at Oklahoma's Grand Lake, the college announced.
The Grand River Dam Authority received reports at 6:30 p.m. of a man who jumped from a cliff in Dripping Springs but never came back up. Rescue crews quickly arrived at the scene and discovered a man's body 31 feet underwater, according to Oklahoma's KFOR.
The outlet added that officials had not yet identified his body; however, Green's relatives and friends confirmed that it is him.
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The Grand River Dam Authority did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
"It's a terrible day for Emporia State football and just a devastating loss for the Green family," said Emporia State football coach Garin Higgins on the university's website. "Brexten was a great teammate who cared so much about this football program. It showed in his competitive spirit, his work ethic and his willingness to be there for his teammates. He will always be a part of our Hornet football family."
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His death comes just months before he was set to begin his sophomore year at the school after being redshirted the previous season.
Standing at 5'10" and weighing 190 pounds, the Cashion, Oklahoma, native was an All-State player for the 2020 Oklahoma Class A State Champion Wildcats at Cashion High School, the university added. During his senior year, he was named the District A-3 Player of the Year after scoring 27 touchdowns. He also ran 1,720 receiving yards and 409 rushing yards.
Higgins praised the late athlete for his dedication "to being the best player he could be" and said he could "have developed into a great player for us because of those characteristics."
"He was a typical ESU player that lived the core bricks of our program and we will miss him dearly. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his parents Brett and LaMae and the entire family," he said.
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His funeral services are scheduled for Friday at 4 p.m. Grief counselors are also available onsite for students, the school added.
