Sam Ehlinger was in Indianapolis on Thursday when he found out about the death of his younger brother, Jake. The Colts selected Sam Ehlinger in the sixth round Saturday.
The Colts took care of Ehlinger’s travel accommodations back to Austin to get him home as soon as possible.
“There are no magic words in these moments, but all we can do is be there to love and support Sam,” Colts coach Frank Reich said in a statement to NFL Media. “We will do everything we can. With Sam, our thoughts and prayers are with him and his mother and his sister as they mourn the tragic death of Sam’s brother, Jake.”
Jake Ehlinger was found dead at 12:18 p.m., with the cause of death unknown.
“It’s very sad and tragic news that we received this afternoon during such an exciting time for the family, and our hearts and prayers are with the whole family,” Colts owner Jim Irsay said in a statement. “I know how close they were, and we’re just really stunned, but we are prayerful and we know God has a plan. We are doing everything we can to console the family and do what we can to make things as easy as possible at this difficult time.”
