RUTHERFORD COUNTY, TN. (THECOUNT) — Marcus Webb, Brandon Pace Jr., Lamar Childress, Jamir Johnson and Jeremiah Matthews, have been identified as the current and former Cumberland University football players involved in a deadly Rutherford County on Sunday.
Webb, 22, was killed. Pace remains in critical condition. Childress, Johnson and Matthews remain in stable condition, following a single-vehicle crash in Murfreesboro early Sunday morning.
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According to reports, Johnson was behind the wheel of a Dodge Charger on East Clark Boulevard near North Tennessee Boulevard in Murfreesboro, when for unknown reasons, the vehicle exited the roadway and came into contact with a substantial tree around 1 a.m. Sunday.
Webb was pronounced dead of blunt force trauma injuries at the scene.
Webb, of Atoka, Tennessee, was a former football player at Cumberland University in 2021-22, according to the school’s athletic department.
“The boys on that football team are all a family, and in fact our whole student body is all part of a family and that’s why this has been so critical and we’re all grieving together,” University President Paul Stumb.
President Stumb spent Sunday afternoon contacting the athletes’ families to offer his support.
“I want them to know we, particularly for the one young man who passed away, that he will always be part of the Cumberland family but for those who are still injured and in the hospital, we’re there for them, we care about them, we’re lifting them up and holding them up in our prayers and thoughts and that we want to be there for those families however we can,” Stumb said.
The athletic department issued the following statement on its website regarding the crash:
It is with a heavy heart and great sadness that we have notified all members of our cherished university- our students, faculty, and staff that five members of our campus community were involved in an extremely serious and fatal auto accident early Sunday morning in Rutherford County after our football game against Webber International.
Unfortunately, the Cumberland University family has lost former student-athlete Marcus Webb to injuries sustained in the accident. Brandon Pace Jr. currently remains in critical condition while Jamir Johnson, Lamar Childress, and Jeremiah Matthews are all three in stable condition. Although grief can be, and often is at times like these, an all-consuming emotion, it is not one which we must carry alone.
Football Head Coach, Tim Mathis shared his feelings with his team this afternoon, “As a team we are devastated. We are praying for healing and specifically that Brandon’s injuries are healed. We are also praying for the families involved and for each other.”
We are all extremely saddened at this news. The entire athletic department is devastated and our campus community is hurting. Our hearts and prayers are with the families, teammates, friends and loved ones of these students.
Please be assured that while we are working with the appropriate authorities to collect and subsequently disseminate all of the relevant factual information surrounding this incident, we are first and foremost working with the immediate family members of those involved in the accident. In difficult times like these, it is more important than ever to rise together in support of those who are hurting.
Sincerely,
Ron Pavan
Director of Athletics
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
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Geo quick facts: Rutherford County is a county located in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is located in Middle Tennessee. As of the 2021 census, the population was 352,182, making it the fifth-most populous county in Tennessee – Wikipedia.