FORT WORTH, Texas — The last time Paul Gonzales saw Jeff Gladney was at the TCU spring game, and by that point he knew his former player was well on his way and he had nothing to worry about any more.
“You could really tell he just had his stuff together,” said Gonzales, who has been on TCU’s coaching staff since 2012 and serves as the safeties coach.
That’s what makes all of this so hard.
Gladney had been through it, and was on the other side.
Gladney attended TCU’s spring game on April 22. A little more than a month later, he’s gone.
Gonzales found out via text message from former players that Gladney was killed early Monday morning in a two-car accident in Dallas.
Gonzales had known Gladney from the time he arrived on TCU’s campus in 2015, and witnessed the young man mature from a shy teenager, to top college player, a college graduate, and an adult.
An adult full of accomplishment, and scars.
Former TCU players, particularly those who made it to the NFL, often return to their alma mater to work out and hang out.
For an extended period Gladney avoided TCU after he was accused of assaulting a female on April 2, 2021. Less than 24 hours later, the team that selected Gladney in the first round of the 2020 NFL draft, the Minnesota Vikings, cut him.
At that point, the former TCU star player effectively vanished from TCU’s circle.
In March of 2022, a Dallas jury found Gladney not guilty of the charge.
Shortly thereafter he signed a two-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals and returned to TCU’s campus.
“He came out to the third or fourth practice this spring, and he just had that same exuberance again that he had here when he played,” Gonzales.
“For me, to see him like that was great. He hit a snag with that whole situation and he was kind of embarrassed. But you could really tell he felt good, and he was doing great. He wanted to be around people again, and back at TCU. He seemed really excited about this phase of his life.”
Gladney was 25. He had a 1-year-old son.
“This sort of thing does hit me differently because I have kids of my own now,” Gonzales said. “You have heartbreak for his family, and his parents. He was only 25. He had his whole life still ahead of him.
“Knowing the situation, and him trying to get back on track with his career, it makes it even harder to swallow.”
As hard as this is, Gonzales did not hesitate in answering whether or he will use this tragedy as a lesson to his players or his kids.
“For sure this is one of those things I’ll use for the rest of my career as a teaching tool for young people,” he said. “I had a great relationship with Jeff, and I think you have to use situations no matter what the details were that led to this tragedy, you have to use them as a learning tool for these guys.
“Just decision making; what goes into making sure where you are supposed to be, and not at the wrong place at the wrong time. I know we don’t know any of these details yet (regarding Gladney’s accident), but I will certainly use it for probably the rest of my career.”
For whatever reason, Jeff Gladney is gone.
He leaves behind a son who will never know his father, and a heartbroken circle of family and friends whose lives are forever altered as a result his absence.
He lived a life in 25 years, but that’s no comfort because Jeff Gladney should still be here.
