My heart both swells and breaks
to be here with all of you to celebrate and honor
the lives of Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D'Sean Perry.
They were kind, they were
funny, they were full of energy.
They were serious students. They were sons and grandsons and brothers.
As a mother and as Director of Athletics,
this tragedy has pushed me to my limits.
But God is faithful.
We will find strength in our faiths and beliefs,
whatever they may be, and in knowing that Devin, Lavel and D'Sean
were deeply loved by their families and friends.
Dev,
I cannot describe to you the sadness we feel in our hearts
as we mourn your loss.
You were never afraid to be yourself.
You never let anyone's words bring you down.
It was your world and we were just living in it.
I watched you defy all odds, everything stacked against you,
and still succeed with a smile on your face in the end.
You said you were gonna do it for your family,
your mom,
for everything they've done for you.
I'm forever grateful to call Lavel my teammate, friend, and brother. This has been hard for me to process.
But each tear I shed for you, 'Vel, holds immeasurable love.
His smile. Whenever you saw Tyler he would flash
his infectious smile, the kind of smile that you couldn't help but smile too.
Oh, what I would give to see you and that smile of yours,
and just hug on you one more time.
Unfortunately, I cannot, but I know that you are
smiling up there and so for that, I will do the same down here.
My father always used to tell me about great men in his life.
From the day I got to the University of Virginia,
it was evident that D'Sean Perry was one of those great men.
D'Sean, you were a brother, a mentor, a warrior,
but above all those things you were a blessing,
and a beautiful human.
Because of you, D, my path took me to UVA.
I saw the man that you had become, and I wanted to be just like you.
D'Sean was the biggest fighter I knew, and always pushed himself to be
the best person, on and off the field. I now fight for you, D.
Everything I do is for you now, and I promise I'll make you proud.
I love you. See you soon, Rambo.
To my three young kings, I'm eternally grateful for you.
Thank you for being the light to the world.
You all will continue to shine your lives bright, before us, in the days ahead.
Devin, D'Sean, Lavel, I love you. I'll see you again.
Despite all of this,
life beckons nonetheless.
We can and will move forward as a community provided we move forward together.
We can and we will do this, not to dishonor the lives lost,
but on the contrary, to honor them.
We are better and we will do better,
because of Devin, Lavel, and D'Sean.
To the families, we love your sons.
We love your sons.
And we will make sure their legacy never fades
at the University of Virginia.