Source: Chargers' Casey Hayward will play despite brother's death

ByAdam Schefter ESPN logo
Sunday, December 3, 2017

Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Casey Hayward, who attended his brother's funeral Friday and was listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns for personal reasons, will play, a source told ESPN.

Sunday's game will cap the end of an emotional week for Hayward, whose 27-year-old brother, Jecaives Hayward, died Monday night in a car accident in Macon, Georgia.

Jecaives Hayward was a passenger in a car that struck the back of a tractor trailer. He was ejected from the car, a 2011 Toyota Camry, and was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, according to a news release from the Bibb County Sheriff's office.

Hayward left the Chargers to be with his family and didn't return until Friday night, when the team sent a private plane to fly him back to Los Angeles. While he was away preparing for his brother's funeral, he did what he could to get ready for Sunday's game, speaking with coaches each night to discuss the defensive game plan and his responsibilities. Among Hayward's expected duties will include covering Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon, who will be playing in his first NFL game since 2014.

After arriving back in Los Angeles, Hayward attended Saturday's walk-through practice, which was designed defensively to get him ready for the game.

It is the second family tragedy Hayward has endured in as many years; his mother, Tish, died of cancer in July 2016.

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