It was a year and five days ago when San Francisco 49ers quarterback C.J. Beathard’s brother, Clay, was murdered outside a Nashville bar.
On Saturday, C.J. Beathard had a chance to start for the 49ers and delivered a solid performance as they upset the Arizona Cardinals, 20-12.
On Dec. 21, 2019, Clay Beathard, the younger brother of C.J. Beathard, was stabbed during an altercation outside a Nashville bar. He and another man, identified as Paul Trapeni III, 21, were taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center and were pronounced dead.
“Me and my family have been through a lot,” Beathard said over Zoom on Wednesday. “I think it’s tested our faith for sure in a lot of ways. And yeah, I think that I’ve really matured as a person, just not only my person, but in my faith. I’ve put things into perspective with what happened to my brother a year ago, it’s put a lot of things into perspective and what matters in life.
“You truly never know when your last day is going to be, so it’s trying to be a light to people and go out every day, whether it be second-string, third-string, first-string, going out and enjoying and having fun each day and doing the best that you can with a good attitude and all that kind of stuff because at the end of the day, that’s all you can do.”
Beathard was 13-of-22 for 182 yards and 3 TD passes in the win over the Cardinals. He got a boost from the return of Iowa and Niners’ teammate George Kittle, who had a team-leading four catches for 92 yards.
Kittle called last year’s game against the Rams after the murders the “toughest game of my career,”
“When C.J. was back with his family in Nashville, that was the first time I’ve played a football game without him in eight years,” Kittle said in 2019. “For me, you definitely have them in your head when you’re out there playing. Hey, C.J.’s not here, he’s part of me tonight and he’s going to help me win this game. That’s what I’ve always loved about football — you can always play for somebody.”
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