There are a few new details on the tragic death of former Tennessee offensive lineman Aaron Douglas this morning. According to a Fernandina Beach Police Department statement, Douglas was on his way to Jacksonville via cab after dinner with friends when two women invited him to a party. He got there between 11:00 and 11:30 and was seen there as late as 2:00 a.m. He was discovered "apparently deceased" the next morning on a second floor balcony by the residents of the house, and he was pronounced dead at the scene shortly thereafter when the EMS arrived.
Even this morning, the prevalent reaction is shock and profound sadness. (Of course, ESPN had a different take.) SBNation.com has comments from former and current teammates and coaches. UTSports.com has statements from UT AD Mike Hamilton and Derek Dooley, and Nick Reveiz is among many with fond memories of a former teammate and friend:
"When I got hurt in 2009, it was a hard time for me and it was tough going out there and seeing everybody playing when I couldn't," Reveiz said. "That next game, I remember Aaron put '56' on his wrist-tape on both wrists on the outside so you could always see it. He just told me that he was going to play for me, wrote it on his wrist-tape like every single game after that for the rest of the season.
"That's something I'll never forget."
Additional details are likely to be released later today. None of it will change, however, the fact that a young life was tragically cut short.