South Carolina Newspaper Prints Insensitive Headline About Ryan Hilinski After Gamecocks Loss
Ryan Hilinski did not have a great day against the Missouri Tigers on Saturday. The Gamecocks quarterback went 13-for-30 for only 166 yards in South Carolina's 34-14 loss.
However, it should be noted that Ryan Hilinski has had far, far worse days in his life, such as January 16, 2018, the day his older brother, Tyler, committed suicide. It was later revealed that Tyler suffered from stage one chronic traumatic encephalopathy. The Hilinski family later started the charity Hilinski's Hope, dedicated to destigmatizing mental illness.
And then The State Newspaper had to go and print this headline.
Hilinski’s Hope is the name of the non-profit formed after his brothers suicide. https://t.co/sLr96jUTjB
— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) September 22, 2019
Who came up with that headline? What was going through their minds? Did they think they were being funny or clever? Or did they honestly not get the connection?
We may never know the answer to these, but thankfully, the newspaper has issued an apology.
Our sincerest apologies to the Hilinski family today for the unfortunate headline in our print edition today. Hilinski’s Hope works to raise awareness about mental health issues, especially for student-athletes.
— The State Newspaper (@thestate) September 22, 2019
While the apology is appropriate, the damage was already done and likely, someone was severely reprimanded for this mistake.