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Waynesburg student’s death not suspicious, says university

By Alyssa Choiniere And Steve Barrett 3 min read
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WAYNESBURG — The death of a Waynesburg student found dead in his dorm room Sunday morning was not suspicious, according to a statement released by university officials.

Bradley Grinnen, 21, of Ellwood City was pronounced dead at 11:22 a.m. Sunday by the Greene County CoronerĢƵ office.

Waynesburg Borough police Chief Robert Toth said Monday his department was notified by the university at around 10:30 a.m. and that the incident poses “no threat to public safety.”

Toth also commended the university for their cooperation in the police investigation.

Through a written statement, Ashley Wise, university director of relations, stated that the university is “cooperating fully with the authorities, who are investigating the situation. We have been assured that it is not a suspicious death, and there is no perceived threat to the public.”

A statement release Sunday stated that the university “was not providing any interviews or additional media statements at this time.” The statement also stated that counselors were available all day Sunday “and would continue to be available going forward.”

A private prayer service was held for Grinnen during the universityĢƵ regularly-scheduled Upper Room student worship service Sunday evening.

Grinnen, a junior defensive lineman for the Yellow Jackets football team, earned first-team honors in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference in 2016. He led the team with 48 tackles last year. He also made eight sacks during the year for a total loss of 41 yards, and four sacks in one game against the Muskingum University Fighting Muskies of New Concord, Ohio, according to the universityĢƵ statistics page.

An autopsy was performed Monday, according to the Greene County CoronerĢƵ office. Updated information regarding the autopsy was not made available to the Greene County Messenger by press time.

Following the reports of GrinnenĢƵ death, his former trainer said Grinnen was a person others looked up to, even if he didn’t realize it.

Grinnen was “a great kid” and “a mature leader,” said Ali Herr, one of his athletic trainers at Lincoln High School in Ellwood City.

“The other kids wanted to be Brad and looked up to him, even more than Brad knew,” she said.

She described Grinnen as a tenacious athlete who refused to let injuries slow him down.

“When he would injure something, he wouldn’t dare come to me for assistance or advice. He was going to play the game or fight the match no matter what I said,” she said.

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