After meeting with players and coaches, team officials of the Tampa Bay Storm arena football team have decided to cancel their participation in a charity flag football game in Plant City after the unexpected death of teammate Chandler Williams.
Williams, who was 27, died Sunday while playing in a flag football tournament in South Florida. No cause of death has been released at this time.
The Storm were set to play in a charity flag football game Jan. 12 against the Tampa Bay Sentinels, a full-contact football team comprised of first responders from the Tampa Bay area, including local members of the military. The event will benefit the MacDonald Training Center, which has locations in Plant City and Tampa.
After funeral arrangements were made for Williams for Saturday at noon in Miami, the Storm met Monday night and made the decision to attend the funeral. According to Jim Robinson, media relations manager of the Storm, the franchise is working to still have a representation at the charity event, including interactive fan activities or a presence from the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning, who share the Times Forum with the Storm.
Because of scheduling and training camps, the game cannot be rescheduled, but Robinson said that there is a possibility to have additional fundraising efforts for the MacDonald Training Center at a Storm game this upcoming season.
According to Sentinels coach Jim Gaczewski, his team will still participate this Saturday.
“Regardless of what happens, we’re going to play,” Gaczewski said, noting that the event will still raise money for the MacDonald Training Center.
Gaczewski is currently working on finding an opponent, with possibilities of the Sentinels scrimmaging against themselves or taking on local high school or college players.
“We might even play the employees and members of the MacDonald Training Center and just have a great time,” Gaczewski said. “They would love that. We are still planning on it being a great event and a great time.”
This will be the first in three years the Sentinels and Storm do not play in a benefit game. It would have been the first time the event was held in Plant City.
Tickets to the game are $7 and can be purchased at the gate the day of the game. Children under five and people with disabilities get in for free. There will also be auction items and a 50/50 raffle with all the proceeds going to benefit the MacDonald Training Center.