C.J. Beathard Tributes Slain Brother Ahead Of Celebration Of Life Ceremony

By Paris Close

December 29, 2019

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C.J. Beathard honored the life of his late younger brother, who was slain the week before Christmas.

On Friday (December 27), the San Francisco 49ers quarterback penned a touching tribute on Instagram one week after his brother, Clayton, 22, and his friend Paul Trapeni III, 21, were fatally stabbed in a scuffle outside Nashville’s Dogwood Bar & Grill on December 21.

“Clay has the biggest heart of anyone that I have known. Anyone that knows him knows this, he would do absolutely anything for the people he loves,” Beathard wrote along with a photo gallery featuring images of Clay. “He is the most loyal guy that I have ever known in my life.”

Beathard went on to describe his brother as one of “the sweetest, most humble, toughest, and kind hearted” people in the world, adding that although Clay and Paul were “called home” he remarked they “are and forever will be my best friends.”

“We grew up doing everything together going all the way back to my mom sitting us three down at the kitchen table everyday and homeschooling us. And I want to go ahead and [I say] all of this in the present tense because Clay still IS!” he continued. “He didn’t ‘used to be’ this or that, he still ‘is’. He just lives in a different place, and that place is called Heaven.”

“I just know Clay is looking at us grieving down here right now saying ‘stay strong’ ‘I’m doing great up here’ and ‘I will see you soon,’” Beathard went on, before closing with: “What happened is absolutely awful and has been and will continue to be the hardest things my family and I have had to go through. But I can find some peace knowing that he is at peace in heaven right now, and I know without a doubt God will bring a whole bunch of good out of this.”

Clay, who had just finished his junior year at Long Island University, where he also played quarterback, was remembered in a celebration of life ceremony Saturday (December 28) at Grace Chapel Church in Franklin, Tennessee.

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It’s hard to even know where to start for something like this, but I guess first I just want to say a can’t tell you how thankful and blessed me and my family are for all of the people that have reached out and prayers we have received since by brother went to heaven. It truly is unbelievable all of the support and friends we have. I love each every one of you. Thank y’all so much. But I want to start with clay. Clay has the biggest heart of anyone that I have ever known. Anyone that knows him knows this, he would do absolutely anything for the people he loves. He is the most loyal guy that I have ever known in my life and has always been so dang proud of my family and I. It sounds so cliche but clay is the best example of a dude that lights up every room he walks into wether its with his loud contagious laugh or just the smile on his face. Anyone that knows him would tell you the same. He also has the weirdest ways of making unforgettable relationships with literally everyone he meets. Clay is the sweetest, most humble, toughest, and kind hearted people this world had in it, but he was called home and now has none of the pains and stresses only this world could give. Clay is 1 of a kind. Him along with Tucker are and forever will be my best friends. We grew up doing everything together going all the way back to my mom sitting us three down at the kitchen table everyday and homeschooling us. And I want to go ahead and say I say all of this in the present tense because Clay still IS! He didn’t “used to be” this or that, he still “is”. He just lives in a different place, and that place is called Heaven. Where I know without a doubt he has no stress no worries and is as joyful as he could ever be. How incredible is that to think about! I just know Clay is looking at us grieving down here right now saying “stay strong” “I’m doing great up here” and “I will see you soon”. What happened is absolutely awful and has been and will continue to be the hardest things my family and I have had to go through. But I can find some peace knowing that he is at peace in heaven right now, and I know without a doubt God will bring a whole bunch of good out of this. Cont in comments

A post shared by CJ Beathard (@ceejaybeat_hard) on Dec 27, 2019 at 9:26am PST

Photo: Getty Images