Former Brazoswood HS athlete and aspiring rapper dies due to COVID
FREEPORT, Texas (KTRK) -- LaWayne Ross, a 24-year-old former collegiate tight end and aspiring rapper, has died after battling COVID-19, according to his mother.
"It's with great sadness to announce that our son Wayne Ross gained his wings this morning," Yolanda Bradshaw-Ross posted on Facebook on Tuesday. "Thank you all for the love and support. Plans for his service will be shared at a later date."
The video above is from previous reporting on Ross and his battle against COVID-19.
Ross was in intensive care for several weeks after being diagnosed with COVID-19 in early August.
"I've only seen him twice, and the only reason I've seen him twice was because he was that critical," Bradshaw-Ross told ABC13 late last month.
After Ross graduated from Brazoswood High School, he went on to play college football at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
He was a 2017 first-team All-Southland Conference and All-Louisiana selection at tight end, according to KPLC-TV. He set a McNeese school record in 2017 for the most receiving yards by a tight end with 570. His brother, Ryan, was also a standout player on the McNeese team. The two played together all three of LaWayne's years at the school.
He was an aspiring rap artist and was also taking classes on safety management.
Ross was not vaccinated, according to his mother. She said last month that she wished she would have encouraged him to do so sooner.
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"As a mother, especially when your kid gets sick, you always question anyone in your family, you know?" said Bradshaw-Ross. "What could I have done better? Could I have made him do this sooner? I know if I just picked up and took him, he would have. He has that trust in me. So yeah, of course, I questioned everything."
