College Football Coach Makes Emotional Plea after Nashville School Shooting

Georgia Tech football coach Brent Key was moved to tears as he implored anyone who would listen that some change has to be made after a school shooting in Nashville killed three children and three adults.

Key opened his time with reporters by saying he "doesn't want want to make any political statement or religious statements or anything about that, but something's got to change."

“My mom was a third-grade school teacher her whole career, and I’ve got a four-year-old daughter, about to be five, who was doing a school play when that happened,” he said. 

Key added, “There’s nothing political and nothing religious made about this but something has to change. And I had a chance to stand up here and be in front of a camera, and if one person hears me say that, and agrees, and does something to help force the change and something to happen and 1,000 other people say something negative about it, I don’t care — because it worked.”

Three 9-year-old children and three school personnel were killed in the Monday morning attack at The Covenant School in Nashville, Tenn.

The shooter, who was killed by police at the scene, bought seven firearms legally.

“It’s the most heartbreaking thing in the world to think about your daughter,” Key said, adding as he wept, “going to school, where she’s supposed to be safe and protected. It is.”

Key noted, “As long as people stand up there and bicker and argue, more and more kids are gonna die. Because it hasn’t changed. So something’s gotta change.

“Everybody please, do something. Whoever listens to this, send it somewhere else, send it to somebody, I don’t know. Let’s all do something together to help.”

Key took over as Georgia Tech interim football coach in September and was promoted to the full-time role in November.

Before then, he served as Tech's assistant head coach, run game coordinator, and offensive line coach.

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