GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
Former LSU standout wide receiver Kyren Lacy, 24, has died in Houston, LSU confirmed Sunday morning. Cause of death was not immediately known or made public.
WAFB-TV Channel 9 (Baton Rouge) sports director Jacques Doucet was one of the first to report the story from a family source and reported that suicide is suspected.
A Grand Jury was scheduled to begin hearing evidence on Monday concerning felony negligent homicide, hit-and-run, and reckless driving charges against Lacy for allegedly causing an accident last Dec. 17 in Lafourche Parish near his Thibodaux hometown.
After a lengthy crash investigation, Louisiana State Police arrested Lacy last January on the charges before he was released on $151,000 bond. Had he been convicted of all charges, Lacy’s sentence could have been for as long as 15 years. Herman Hall, a 77-year-old former U.S. Marine, died from the accident in another vehicle.
Before the arrest, Lacy was considered a third- or fourth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft that starts on April 24 and runs through April 26. He had been invited to practice for and play in the Senior Bowl on Feb. 1 in Mobile, Ala. – a hot spot for NFL coaches, executives and draft personnel in preparation for the draft. But Senior Bowl officials de-invited him after the arrest. He was also not invited to the NFL Combine from February 27-March 2 in Indianapolis.
Lacy did participate in LSU’s Pro Day on March 26 for NFL scouts and draft experts. He posted a 4.50-second 40-yard dash and a 36-inch vertical jump during the workout.
“We’re saddened to learn of the tragic passing of former LSU student-athlete Kyren Lacy,” an LSU release said Sunday afternoon. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones, as well as his former teammates and coaches impacted by his passing.”
Lacy was one of the Tigers’ top receivers last season. He caught 58 passes for 866 yards and led LSU in receiving touchdowns with nine. During his five seasons in college football, he caught 162 passes for 2,360 yards and scored 26 touchdowns. After playing at Thibodaux High, Lacy signed with Louisiana-Lafayette in 2020 and played two seasons there. He transferred to LSU for the 2022 season.
“It is with profound sorrow that we confirm the tragic passing of Kyren Lacy,” Lacy attorney Matthew Ory told ESPN on Sunday. “First and foremost, we ask that the public and the media give his family the space and time they need to grieve this unimaginable loss in peace.”
Ory also told ESPN that he is “demanding a full and transparent review of how this investigation was conducted and why,” and that he is “very confident the evidence, after being fully collected and reviewed, would lead to a declination of charges.”
Why does Ory ask why? State Police conducted the investigation because a man – Hall – died, and it was a hit-and-run. And fatal traffic accidents tend to be investigated.
Shortly after the arrest, Ory said his client was innocent.
“I wish to address the charges of negligent homicide and clarify the facts surrounding this tragic incident,” Ory said in a statement at the time. “On the day of the accident, Mr. Lacy was driving on a road with two lanes in each direction. While he briefly passed other vehicles, he safely reentered his lane without incident. The collision that resulted in the death of Mr. Herman (Hall) was not caused by Mr. Lacy’s actions. The accident occurred directly in front of him when a second vehicle in the oncoming lane crossed the center line and collided with (Hall’s) vehicle, in which he was a passenger.
“At no time did Mr. Lacy’s vehicle strike the rear of (Hall’s) vehicle, nor did any of the vehicles Mr. Lacy passed collide with his. It is crucial to emphasize that Mr. Lacy did not cause or contribute to the crash. There was no suspicion of alcohol or drug use involved.”
The State Police never mentioned any evidence of alcohol or drug use in its report of the mid-afternoon accident.
Lacy caused the accident because he “recklessly passed multiple vehicles at a high rate of speed by crossing the center line and entering the northbound lane while in a designated No Passing Zone,” State Police said in a Jan. 10 release.
The State Police report clearly explains that Lacy caused the tragic accident without his 2023 Dodge Charger ever hitting another vehicle.
“As Lacy was illegally passing other vehicles, the driver of a northbound pickup truck abruptly braked and swerved right to avoid a head-on collision,” State Police said. “Behind that pickup was a Kia Cadenza car, whose driver swerved left to avoid (Lacy). As the Cadenza took evasive action to avoid impact with (Lacy), it crossed the center line and collided head on with a southbound Kia Sorrento SUV that was driven by Hall.”
Immediately after the crash, “Lacy drove around the crash scene and fled south on Louisiana Highway 20 without stopping to render aid, call emergency services, or report his involvement in the crash,” State Police said.
Lacy turned himself in on Jan. 12 and was jailed at the Lafourche Parish Correctional Complex in Thibodaux briefly before being bailed out for $151,000.
“I’m lost for words,” former LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels’ mother Reginia Jackson tweeted on Sunday. “His teammates are lost for words. His friends are lost for words. Pray for his family. No mother should ever have to endure this pain. RIP Kyren – #2.”
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