Author: Gus Martin, USA TODAY

Eli Rogers, WR for the XFL’s DC Defenders, wrote on Twitter that missing mom’s funeral for the game was “one of the toughest decisions” of his life.

HS senior Daniel Lucke of Pace Academy (Atlanta) played for the first time and hit a buzzer-beater after a swift move. Crowd and teammates went wild.

The helicopter crash that claimed the life of Kobe Bryant and eight others is just the latest in tragic aviation incidents involving sports figures.