Posted: Dec 29, 2020 11:39 AM CT | Last Updated: December 29, 2020
Samwel Uko was known for his big smile, kind heart and love of football.(Remembering Samwel Uko/Facebook)
Canadian-born NFL wide receiver Chase Claypool paid tribute this week to friend and former teammate Samwel Uko, who died earlier this year after being turned away from a Regina hospital during a mental health crisis. Uko s family says he died by suicide.
Claypool, who plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers, posted photos of himself wearing a T-shirt with Uko s photo to Instagram earlier this week with the caption Break the Stigma and the hashtag #mensmentalhealth.
Claypool and Uko, who was 20 when he died, played football together in their high school years at Abbotsford Senior Secondary School in Abbotsford, B.C.