College soccer player from Atlanta, son of former CFL receiver found dead in his dorm room
Chicago police said Chase Stegall was found unresponsive just before 9 a.m. Monday.
Stegall, the son of former NFL and CFL player Milt Stegall, grew up in Atlanta and graduated from Woodward Academy.
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'We are heartbroken by the unexpected loss of Chase Stegall, a cherished member of our community, dedicated teammate and kind-hearted friend. Our thoughts and prayers are with Chase's family, friends, teammates and all who loved him,' the athletic department said in a statement.
The university says it will support Stegall's family and teammates in the coming days. It will also hold a memorial service on campus Wednesday.
The Canadian Football League issued the following statement:
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WLS, the ABC affiliate in Chicago, spoke with Stegall's fellow athletes at DePaul.
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They will remember the soccer player best for his spirit and smile.
'He always had a smile on his face, just like the brightest personality and was the life of the party. He was the guy who knew how to make that special impact on everyone around him. The athletic center, they loved him -- like every single sport outside of men's soccer, every single sport knew who he was,' track-and-field athlete Gianna Sanchez told WLS.
In an essay posted on the athletic department, Stegall opened up about a seizure his freshmen year and how his coach stayed with him for hours.
'My teammates and friends constantly checked up on me, too. They'd helped me get to the hospital, and sent me texts to make sure I was doing OK,' Stegall wrote. 'Knowing that my head coach and teammates cared about me that much was the moment I knew that DePaul was the right place for me.'
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The Cook County Coroner's Office will do an autopsy to confirm the cause of death.
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Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Miami Herald
De Paul on Messi friendship, Beckham influence, tattoos, fashion, love for Miami
Rodrigo De Paul, Inter Miami's latest high-profile signing, explained what lured him away from Spanish club Atletico Madrid as he met with the media for the first time on Friday, on the eve of Miami's second Leagues Cup game against Mexican club Necaxa. The decision came after many conversations with Lionel Messi, who is his close friend and teammate on Argentina's national team, and a heart-to-heart talk with Argentina national team coach Lionel Scaloni. De Paul, a 31-year-old midfielder nicknamed 'El Motorcito' for his tireless work rate, joined Miami on a four-year loan-to-buy deal that runs through 2029. He is on loan for the remainder of this season, and Inter Miami will make the transfer permanent for the following three seasons. De Paul made his debut Wednesday in a 2-1 League's Cup win against Atlas. He played the full 90 minutes in sweltering heat and humidity, despite not having trained with the team prior to the game. He completed 54 of 58 passes, several of them to Messi. 'Leo and I always dreamed of playing together in a club, to hang out every day together,' he said. 'Every time we were together on the national team, the day-to-day was incredible, but it always ended up feeling too short. 'I wanted to see what it was like to train and play every day with the best player of all.' But first, he wanted to get assurance from Scaloni that leaving Spain for MLS would not hamper his chances of being a key figure on Argentina's national team. 'For me, the most important thing of all is the Argentina national team,' De Paul said. 'He was very honest with me. He told me, 'I know what you can give me on the field. I know who you are. I'm only going to evaluate what you do on the field. As long as you play and you're feeling well, I know the class of player that you are.' 'Those are the words I needed to hear to make my decision final.' De Paul, who won the World Cup and two Copa Americas with Messi and Argentina, said he had a few offers to stay in Europe, but was intrigued by the chance to play in Miami, a city he loves, alongside his close friend Messi and help raise the profile of MLS around the world. 'I want to learn about this league and be a part of its growth,' he said. 'Inter Miami is starting to write history here, and I want to be part of that and set a precedent so that players don't come here only for the end of their careers or as a trampoline [to Europe]. We want players to wear this shirt as a sign of commitment and love for the club and the fans. 'It would have been easier for me to stay in Europe a year before the World Cup, but I like challenges and have never been a conformist.' The Miami Herald sat down with De Paul on Friday after the news conference, and he shared details about his life away from the field. Here is what we learned: His parents separated when he was very young and his mother, Monica Ferrarotti, was largely responsible for raising him and his two older brothers, Damian and Guido. She remains a big part of his daily life and was at Chase Stadium last Saturday for his introduction ceremony and jersey presentation. 'She worked her whole life to support us, and now she helps me with everything, she is the firm hand I need to handle so many things,' he said. His eldest brother, Damian, is a systems analyst and his middle brother, Guido, is a physician who also is a talented artist. 'They went in a different direction from me; I struggled in school when I was young,' De Paul said. 'My attention and energy were always on football. Education is very important, it helps prepare you for life, but my head was always on football.' He didn't play any other sports, though he is an avid tennis fan. Asked what he would be if he were not a soccer player, De Paul gave it some thought and replied: 'I get asked that question all the time, and I can never come up with an answer. I can't picture myself doing anything else. I guess fashion is the one thing that has always interested me. 'I always paid attention to clothes. It's something that makes me relax. It's one of the few hobbies I have, to go look at clothes, see how people are dressed. That has always brought me peace. Over the years I have incorporated that into my life and it has become a passion.' 'What I like a lot about David Beckham is how he connected fashion with football,' De Paul said. 'People would see a photo of him dressed a certain way, wearing a certain hairstyle, and would suggest that it affected how he played, but he was confident enough to know he could be a serious player and have another interest, and one had nothing to do with the other. 'I loved how he fused the two and I always followed him.' De Paul was such a big fan of Beckham's that he wore similar hairstyles, from bleached blond to braids to a thin headband, and chose to wear No. 7 as an homage to the English legend. Like Beckham, De Paul is known for his many tattoos. His entire back is covered with the face of a tiger. The date Argentina won the World Cup, 8-12-22, is inked on his neck. His left arm features elaborate artwork of a giant ship, a compass, a lighthouse and a map of South America. Other tattoos include portraits of Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary, a soccer ball, the Argentine soccer federation crest, rosary beads, a rose, a bird and a heart. He got his first tattoo at age 14, on the left side of his chest, over his heart. 'My first was my mother's name [Monica],' De Paul said, smiling. 'I did it for her birthday. She got a little mad, because I was so young. But after awhile she liked it. And that's where it started.' He doesn't know how many tattoos he has at this point, but said there is some room left on his lower right leg to add art from the Inter Miami stage of his career. 'I hope to have several, as I want to win many titles here.' De Paul first visited Miami in 2011 or 2012 and continued to come for vacations ever since. 'I love Miami, love the energy, the lifestyle,' he said. 'I always had the dream of being able to spend a few years living here, and then my friend, Leo [Messi] came here to a club that wants to be a giant, and I was fortunate to be able to join him, and I am very happy.' He said he doesn't eat out much, prefers to dine at home. He likes going to the beach, but for now, with the team's busy schedule and games twice a week, 'I prefer spending time on the sofa.'
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Rodrigo De Paul excited for opportunity to play alongside Lionel Messi at Inter Miami
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Rodrigo De Paul has enjoyed years of playing alongside Lionel Messi for Argentina's national team, but the star midfielder said that for a long time, he's dreamed of playing on the same club with his good friend. 'Every time we would meet in the national team, the day-to-day was amazing,' De Paul said through an interpreter, 'but at the end of the day, it ended up being quite short. I also wanted to feel that sensation of playing alongside the best.' So when Messi joined Inter Miami of Major League Soccer in 2023 , De Paul started paying attention. He caught MLS matches when he could — between his busy schedule with then-club Atletico Madrid — and admired what Messi, co-owner David Beckham and Inter Miami were building in South Florida. Then Beckham approached De Paul with the idea of joining Inter Miami, and the 31-year-old made the choice to be a part of a league that intrigued him. 'It was spectacular to be able to play in Europe in the best leagues in the world,' De Paul said Friday morning at an introductory news conference, one week after he officially signed with Inter Miami on loan. The loan will run through the end of the 2025 MLS season and includes an option to make the transfer permanent through the 2029 season. De Paul, a World Cup champion with Messi and Argentina and a two-time Copa America winner, said he had a few offers to stay in Europe, but likes the challenge of a transition to MLS and knows a lot will be expected of him. 'I want to learn abut this league,' De Paul said. 'I want to be a part of this growth. ... I want to be part of (Inter Miami) and set a precedent so that players don't come here only for the end of their careers. We want players to feel like coming to this club is a commitment to the city and to the fans.' De Paul made his Inter Miami debut Wednesday in a 2-1 League's Cup win over Liga MX club Atlas. He played the full 90 minutes despite not having formally trained with his new team. Miami coach Javier Mascherano was impressed with De Paul's effort. He hadn't played in a match since Atletico Madrid exited the Club World Cup about a month ago, but De Paul was active and vocal on the pitch. 'Seeing him do what he did until the final minute is what we hoped to see from a player like him,' Mascherano said after Wednesday's match. 'We want him to be himself here and have that type of effort and level of play rub off on the rest of us as a team.' De Paul played for Atletico Madrid since 2021 after joining the Spanish club from Udinese, where he played since 2016. De Paul has played in 356 career matches with 45 goals and 56 assists. The move to Inter Miami gives De Paul and Messi a way to continue building their chemistry as they prepare for next summer's World Cup. 'For me, the most important thing of all is the Argentina national team,' De Paul said, adding that he spoke with his national team manager Lionel Scaloni before joining Inter Miami. 'He told me, 'I know what you can give me on the field. I know who you are,'' De Paul said. ''I'm only going to evaluate what you do on the field. As long as you play and you're feeling well, I know the class of player that you are.' I needed to hear those words.' ___ AP soccer:
San Francisco Chronicle
2 days ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Rodrigo De Paul excited for opportunity to play alongside Lionel Messi at Inter Miami
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Rodrigo De Paul has enjoyed years of playing alongside Lionel Messi for Argentina's national team, but the star midfielder said that for a long time, he's dreamed of playing on the same club with his good friend. 'Every time we would meet in the national team, the day-to-day was amazing," De Paul said through an interpreter, 'but at the end of the day, it ended up being quite short. I also wanted to feel that sensation of playing alongside the best.' So when Messi joined Inter Miami of Major League Soccer in 2023, De Paul started paying attention. He caught MLS matches when he could — between his busy schedule with then-club Atletico Madrid — and admired what Messi, co-owner David Beckham and Inter Miami were building in South Florida. Then Beckham approached De Paul with the idea of joining Inter Miami, and the 31-year-old made the choice to be a part of a league that intrigued him. 'It was spectacular to be able to play in Europe in the best leagues in the world,' De Paul said Friday morning at an introductory news conference, one week after he officially signed with Inter Miami on loan. The loan will run through the end of the 2025 MLS season and includes an option to make the transfer permanent through the 2029 season. De Paul, a World Cup champion with Messi and Argentina and a two-time Copa America winner, said he had a few offers to stay in Europe, but likes the challenge of a transition to MLS and knows a lot will be expected of him. 'I want to learn abut this league,' De Paul said. 'I want to be a part of this growth. ... I want to be part of (Inter Miami) and set a precedent so that players don't come here only for the end of their careers. We want players to feel like coming to this club is a commitment to the city and to the fans.' De Paul made his Inter Miami debut Wednesday in a 2-1 League's Cup win over Liga MX club Atlas. He played the full 90 minutes despite not having formally trained with his new team. Miami coach Javier Mascherano was impressed with De Paul's effort. He hadn't played in a match since Atletico Madrid exited the Club World Cup about a month ago, but De Paul was active and vocal on the pitch. 'Seeing him do what he did until the final minute is what we hoped to see from a player like him,' Mascherano said after Wednesday's match. 'We want him to be himself here and have that type of effort and level of play rub off on the rest of us as a team.' De Paul played for Atletico Madrid since 2021 after joining the Spanish club from Udinese, where he played since 2016. De Paul has played in 356 career matches with 45 goals and 56 assists. The move to Inter Miami gives De Paul and Messi a way to continue building their chemistry as they prepare for next summer's World Cup. 'For me, the most important thing of all is the Argentina national team,' De Paul said, adding that he spoke with his national team manager Lionel Scaloni before joining Inter Miami. 'He told me, 'I know what you can give me on the field. I know who you are,'" De Paul said. "'I'm only going to evaluate what you do on the field. As long as you play and you're feeling well, I know the class of player that you are.' I needed to hear those words.' ___
