Sam Ehlinger receives support from Colts following passing of his brother

Just four days after being drafted, Sam Ehlinger received a text from a friend that would change his life. “Call Me ASAP,” the message read, according to Indianapolis Star insider Joel A. Erickson. It was his first day with the Indianapolis Colts, but Ehlinger dropped everything.

He immediately called the friend only to be put on the phone with police, where the bad news came. Ehlinger’s brother, Jake, a walk-on linebacker at Texas, had been found dead.

The former Longhorn quarterback was at a loss. He took a few moments to collect himself before walking to director of player engagement David Thornton’s office to tell him the heartbreaking news.

Ehlinger was the first in the family to hear his news. A counselor relayed the tragedy to his mother, but he told his sister, Morgen, the family’s youngest.

“Momo, Jake’s gone to heaven,” Ehlinger remembers saying.

It was not the first time the family had gone through something like this. When Ehlinger was 14, his father, Ross, suffered a heart attack and died at 46. A cause of death for Jake has still not been released, and Austin police labeled it an ongoing investigation.

The coming days were tough. Jake’s funeral was held a week later at Riverbend Church in Austin. Sam Ehlinger stood in front of roughly 800 people to talk about his brother and honor the memories of his life. He talked about the solace he feels in knowing Jake is in a better place.

“The peace in eternity, eternal satisfaction, that concept, was something I clung onto when my dad died, but I didn’t truly comprehend or understood what it meant until probably about a year ago,” Ehlinger said. “I really dove into my faith, really put God first in every single aspect of my life. Instead of saying I was a believer, actually, truly living it and following what he told us to do.”

The quarterback then returned to Indianapolis, where he got back to work.

Ehlinger learned after the death of his father that a part of grieving is talking about the emotions you are going through. He began to do so with his Colts coaches and teammates. He told head coach Frank Reich everything that was on his mind.

Ehlinger was happy to find understanding in his new home in Indianapolis.

“When it happened, to have men of such strong faith and such strong foundation there supporting me, I can’t even really describe how thankful I am for them,” Ehlinger said. “Them just being there to take care of me and make sure that I was OK. That’s another thing. What are the odds that I’m in an organization that has such great leadership, and that happens on the first day that I get here?”

The former Texas quarterback has an opportunity to start for the Colts this season. Carson Wentz, whom Indianapolis acquired via trade this offseason, suffered a foot injury in camp and is expected to miss 5-12 weeks. Ehlinger and Jacob Eason are in competition to fill in while he recovers.

With all that Sam Ehlinger has gone through, it would be nice to see him get the chance. No matter what happens, he is glad to be with an organization that values his well-being.

Photo courtesy of Justin Casterline/Getty Images.