Silence took over the E. Claiborne Robins Stadium as the football players on the field took a knee on Nov. 19 to mourn the loss of the three University of Virginia students who were fatally shot last week. Attendees of the sold-out game stood to pay their respects.
This was one of the ways the University of Richmond community honored the three UVA football players, Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D’Sean Perry, who were shot and killed on Nov. 13.
Players from UR and the College of William & Mary also wore decals on their helmets to demonstrate support for UVA. There were also moments of silence at UR basketball games since the shooting.
The Westhampton College Government Association showed its support for the UVA community with a banner signed by students. They tabled in Tyler Haynes Commons on Nov. 17 with markers for passersby to sign the poster.
Sophomore Raechel Parent said the football community needed a moment of silence.
“I was really choked up and sad,” Parent said. “I know a couple of the players were really affected by it.”
Sophomore wide receiver UIises Sarria attended high school with Perry. Sarria considered Perry one of his best friends, he said.
W&M alum Nick Gilliland said he didn’t know the moment of silence would be the start of the game.
“I thought it was a good way to start the game,” Gilliland said, “given the location of UVA to here [Richmond].”
It has been a hard week for him and many of his friends because of their connections to UVA, Gilliland said.
“Especially the fact that it was football players who lost their lives,” Gilliland said, “it hits home a lot harder for our [William & Mary] players.”
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WCGA planned to table with the poster on Thursday and Friday, but after Thursday, the poster had no more room for signatures. WCGA sent it to UVA with a letter from WCGA to UVA’s student government, wrote WCGA president Penny Hu in an email to The Collegian.
Banner with signatures from UR community members to honor UVA.
“The UVA Student Council said they will put the banner on display for their community to see as soon as they receive the poster,” Hu wrote. “We cannot imagine what their community is going through right now.”
There were so many people who signed the banner, that WCGA’s class of 2026 chair Gurbani Makar lost count, she said.
“I was awestruck by the fact that everyone came together to sign it,” Makar said. “No one thought twice about it.”
Contact news writer Amy Jablonski at amy.jablonski@richmond.edu.
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