Grieving O'Connell planning to play for Purdue in Big Ten title game
Before taking the field last Saturday, Purdue quarterback Aidan O'Connell knew his older brother Sean had passed away unexpectedly.
O'Connell waited until after the Boilermakers clinched the Big Ten West title with a 30-16 win at Indiana to say anything publicly. The Long Grove native spent the early part of the week with family, then returned to practice on Wednesday.
"I think while it's rough, it's therapeutic for him to be around his buddies and his teammates that care about him," Purdue coach Jeff Brohm said. "So I think he'll be ready to go."
O'Connell is expected to start Saturday's Big Ten championship against No. 2 Michigan in Indianapolis. This is the Boilermakers' first appearance in the conference title game.
The sixth-year senior led the Big Ten in passing yards per game with 284 and was second in touchdowns. He threw for 290 yards and 2 TDs last weekend against the Hoosiers.
"Couldn't be more proud of him," Purdue receiver Charlie Jones said this week. "I tried to tell him at the end of the day, it's just a game and family is more important than anything. For him to come out and play in a game like that and play the way he did was just amazing. We're all super-proud of him."
Jones is a Deerfield native who goes back a long way with O'Connell, but said he didn't know Sean very well.
"I know he was a great kid and raised by two great parents and a great family," said Jones, who played in last year's Big Ten title game for Iowa. "It's just a really sad situation. We're just trying to do as much as we can for them during this time."
Like his brother, Sean O'Connell played football at Stevenson High School, graduating in 2013. According to his LinkedIn profile, he worked for a private equity firm in Chicago. The Lake County Coroner's office is investigating the death, but told NBC 5 in a statement it appeared to be from natural causes and cardiac related.
Aidan paid tribute to his older brother in a statement released on social media after the Indiana game. The O'Connell family includes six siblings.
"Sean was not only one of Purdue Football's biggest fans, but he was a better son, brother and friend," O'Connell's post read. "He lit up every room we walked in, and all who knew him can testify to his contagious joy."
O'Connell traveled a challenging path to reach this point. Originally a walk-on at Purdue, he started for the first time in his third season, beating Northwestern on Nov. 9, 2019. He suffered a season-ending injury in the third game of the 2020 season, earned the starting job again in 2021, then decided to return for a sixth year. Last summer, he married former Purdue volleyball player Jael Johnson.
"I knew if he did get an opportunity, he was something special," former Stevenson coach Bill McNamara said. "There was a good chance if he got an opportunity, he would never give that up. Just by knowing him, his character, knowing how smart he is as a person and as a player, and knowing the talent level he has as a thrower, it doesn't surprise me that he's having all the success he's having. It's been really fun watching him."
No school in NCAA history has been better at pulling upsets than Purdue, but it also appears Georgia and Michigan have the top two slots locked up for the College Football Playoffs, regardless of what happens Saturday. No. 3 TCU is likely safe as well, barring a blowout loss to Kansas State. The most meaningful game of the weekend was Friday night's Pac-12 game between No. 4 USC and Utah.
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