Virginia graduation ceremony honors football players killed in campus shooting

The University of Virginia honored Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr. and D'Sean Perry during its commencement on Saturday.

The three football players were killed in a campus shooting in November.

Perry was a senior and would have graduated with the Class of 2023 with his degree in studio art. His mother, Happy, walked in the ceremony with Mike Hollins, who was injured in the shooting and returned to the practice field in March. The running back graduated with a double major in American studies and African-American & African studies, per his Virginia football profile.

Chandler and Davis Jr. were a junior and sophomore, respectively, in the university's College of Arts and Sciences.

The team posted images on Twitter of the three players' jerseys on the stairs of a building and one of Perry's jersey with a graduation cap.

Perry's father, Sean, posted pictures on Twitter of a custom T-shirt he had made for the graduation featuring images of his son and the words "Always and Forever."

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Athletics director Carla Williams delivered the commencement speech and reflected on how the community came together after the tragedy.

"I don't have the words to explain the pain of this past November or the last six months, but I do know this to be an absolute truth: Every kind word, every kind gesture, matters," she said, according to ESPN. "... "Without one spoken word, the people of this community said in unison, in their movement and their spirit, we care about each other. Please do not forget what we've been through together, and may it compel you to show you care about the suffering and the experiences of others. You are the ones responsible for that vigil. You. Students. You are bright and shining examples of the best we have to offer. We need your courageous spirit."

The NFL paid tribute to Perry, Davis Jr. and Chandler during the 2023 draft by making each of them honorary draft picks.