There is heartbreaking news coming out of Cincinnati late Sunday morning, with a member of the Bearcat football program losing his life and two teammates hospitalized following a car accident.
In a press release, UC officials confirmed that offensive lineman Ben Flick died late Saturday as a result of injuries sustained in a single-vehicle accident. The 19-year-old Flick was pronounced dead at the scene.
Two Bearcat wide receivers, Mark Barr and Javon Harrison, were injured in the accident that occurred 10:30 p.m. ET, a few hours after UC had beaten Miami of Ohio. Harrison is listed in stable condition, while Barr and the unidentified driver of the vehicle are in critical condition.
No details as to what caused the accident have been released.
“I can’t put into words how tragic this is,” head coach Tommy Tuberville said in a statement. “As a father and a coach, it’s something you hope you never have to go through. Ben was so proud to be a part of this team and University. He worked hard and had shown a great deal of improvement since the summer. His future was bright. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Flick family on their loss. We also hope and pray for Mark and Javon to recover from their injuries.”
All three players were true freshmen who were redshirting this season. They were not dressed and did not travel with the team to Oxford for the non-conference game last night, but they did attend the game.
“The Bearcats family has suffered a great tragedy,” UC athletic director Whit Babcock said. “All three young men are great representatives of the University and their team. Our hearts go out to all the families involved. We are doing all we can to help and support them along with the rest of our student-athletes.”
It goes without saying that our thoughts, prayers and condolences go out to Flick’s family and friends as well as his extended family at UC on their tremendous loss.
(Photo credit: Cincinnati athletics)