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Brian Battie didn't entertain the conversation at first. He was too focused on healing, mentally and physically, and grieving what was lost.
On May 18, 2024, Battie was shot at Tallywood Centre Plaza in Sarasota, where he was taken to Sarasota Memorial Hospital in critical condition. His brother, Tommie Battie IV, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Brian, who was shot in the head, remained in the hospital for three months with a traumatic brain injury. He couldn't talk or walk and had to rely on a ventilator. The Auburn running back and Sarasota High graduate lost his brother and his football career in one night.
Two long years later, Brian, 24, will graduate from Auburn on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026, with a degree in interdisciplinary studies. But it took him a year after the shooting to make the decision.
"I was just focused on getting back healthy," Brian said. "I was really just so stuck on the thought process of losing my brother, losing my health, losing my ability to play football, losing my career, everything. So, I wasn't really too much thinking about it, school or graduating at that time."
His mother, Adriene, brought up taking classes again multiple times, but Brian often "waved her off." When Adriene thought Brian was well enough, she told her youngest son that they were going to get him back in school.
"He was so close to finishing," Adriene said. "And a lot of what drove Brian in his healing and recovery is he had that thought I want to go back to school and I'm going to play football ... I wasn't going to allow him not to finish. He was so close."
Brian's father, Tommie Battie III, said a lot of questions persisted over those first few months, and they evolved as Brian started to improve. Is he going to survive? How is his cognitive ability? Is he going to be able to walk? Can he go back to Auburn? How's he going to finish his degree?
Brian faced a lot of challenges when he started taking online classes. His attention span was shorter. It took him much longer to read, even if it was a single paragraph, he said. To improve his speech and reading ability, Tommie and Adriene listened to Brian read aloud. They helped manage his calendar and made sure he had what he needed to complete big projects.
"Not only are we parents pouring into Brian, but we're also grieving our other son as well," Adriene said. "So, I think the more on our plate, the less time we have to actually sit and absorb the reality. So, it's given us a way to move forward and a reason to move forward. I think it's helped all of us."
Adriene and Tommie are looking forward to seeing Brian walk across Auburn's stage.
They would be excited if he did it without a traumatic brain injury and the experience of the last two years, but now it's morphed into something else.
"It's more than just a diploma at this point," Adriene said. "He's overcome so much. He's the example of never give up, keep going."
But Brian says that attitude comes from a source.
"My main motivation is my brother," Brian said. "I know the life he would want me to have."
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn RB Brian Battie of Sarasota will graduate 2 years after shooting
Continue reading...
On May 18, 2024, Battie was shot at Tallywood Centre Plaza in Sarasota, where he was taken to Sarasota Memorial Hospital in critical condition. His brother, Tommie Battie IV, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Brian, who was shot in the head, remained in the hospital for three months with a traumatic brain injury. He couldn't talk or walk and had to rely on a ventilator. The Auburn running back and Sarasota High graduate lost his brother and his football career in one night.
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Two long years later, Brian, 24, will graduate from Auburn on Saturday, Aug. 8, 2026, with a degree in interdisciplinary studies. But it took him a year after the shooting to make the decision.
"I was just focused on getting back healthy," Brian said. "I was really just so stuck on the thought process of losing my brother, losing my health, losing my ability to play football, losing my career, everything. So, I wasn't really too much thinking about it, school or graduating at that time."
His mother, Adriene, brought up taking classes again multiple times, but Brian often "waved her off." When Adriene thought Brian was well enough, she told her youngest son that they were going to get him back in school.
"He was so close to finishing," Adriene said. "And a lot of what drove Brian in his healing and recovery is he had that thought I want to go back to school and I'm going to play football ... I wasn't going to allow him not to finish. He was so close."
Brian's father, Tommie Battie III, said a lot of questions persisted over those first few months, and they evolved as Brian started to improve. Is he going to survive? How is his cognitive ability? Is he going to be able to walk? Can he go back to Auburn? How's he going to finish his degree?
Brian faced a lot of challenges when he started taking online classes. His attention span was shorter. It took him much longer to read, even if it was a single paragraph, he said. To improve his speech and reading ability, Tommie and Adriene listened to Brian read aloud. They helped manage his calendar and made sure he had what he needed to complete big projects.
"Not only are we parents pouring into Brian, but we're also grieving our other son as well," Adriene said. "So, I think the more on our plate, the less time we have to actually sit and absorb the reality. So, it's given us a way to move forward and a reason to move forward. I think it's helped all of us."
Adriene and Tommie are looking forward to seeing Brian walk across Auburn's stage.
You must be registered for see images attach
They would be excited if he did it without a traumatic brain injury and the experience of the last two years, but now it's morphed into something else.
"It's more than just a diploma at this point," Adriene said. "He's overcome so much. He's the example of never give up, keep going."
But Brian says that attitude comes from a source.
"My main motivation is my brother," Brian said. "I know the life he would want me to have."
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn RB Brian Battie of Sarasota will graduate 2 years after shooting
Continue reading...
