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OSU's Rice back with new outlook on game
Memory of late sister keeps him motivated
Sunday, August 29, 2010
By Edward Paik
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Neal C. Lauron DISPATCH
Taylor Rice
You can take time off, as long as you need, his coaches told Tayor Rice. Stay with your family, grieve and, if you come back, there'll be a spot for you - you'll be a part of Ohio State football when we win that Rose Bowl.
So Rice took off. He left his role as a backup defensive back and returned to his parents' home in Dublin after the death of his younger sister.
"You have to take time off," Rice said.
Dublin Scioto sophomore Lyndsey Rice, 15, and senior Kyle Colello, 18, were traveling south on Klondike Road in Delaware County on Nov. 28 when their car went out of control on a curve and struck a guardrail. The car swerved across the road, struck several trees and flipped, ejecting both teens.
They were pronounced dead at the scene.
For Taylor Rice, a football season ended that night and a new one has started in the eight months since the accident. He says that he takes new meaning from football these days.
"Football's a team sport, and growing up you think you're playing for yourself, your team and your coaches," he said. "But looking back, after the tragedy you realize the game is not about yourself. It's about people who support me - my family and, more than anyone else, my sister."
OSU's Rice back with new outlook on game | BuckeyeXtra