Jack Bech once looked forward to the NFL Draft after wrapping up his final season at TCU. But everything changed in January when tragedy struck: his older brother, Tiger Bech—also a wide receiver—was one of the victims in the 2025 New Orleans truck attack. Since then, life has been anything but normal for the TCU wideout.
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As if the pain wasn’t already heavy enough, another devastating loss followed. Bech’s close friend and former LSU teammate, Kyren Lacy, took his own life amid mounting legal and mental health struggles. The grief has been overwhelming, but Bech is finally opening up about what these past few months have been like—and how he’s been coping.
In a recent interview with Ryan Clark, Bech revealed that he spoke with Lacy’s girlfriend in the wake of his passing. Both grew up near each other in Lafayette, Louisiana, and had known Kyren for years. She reached out to several of Lacy’s friends, asking them to share stories and memories of him. But her conversation with Bech stood out. It became a deeply emotional exchange, bound by shared loss and healing.
Bech described Lacy as more than a teammate—he was like a brother. “Kyren had a spark,” he said. “An aura about him. He lit up a room with his humor and energy.”
Jack emphasized the importance of mental health, reminding people that no one ever truly knows what someone else is battling. According to him, one moment, one event, can shift the entire trajectory of a person’s life, referencing Kyren’s involvement in a negligent homicide case that seemingly spiraled into something darker.
Jack Bech has become a powerful voice for mental health awareness, urging people to check in on those around them—because, as he puts it, “you never know what demons someone might be fighting inside.” Sometimes, he says, a simple conversation, a warm smile, or even just a reminder that someone isn’t alone can make all the difference. “Demons are real,” Jack shared. “And they live inside us.” That message hits close to home.
” It’s hard losing my brother and losing a friend like that. Just seeing how one thing can just like dismantle someone’s whole track of life. Mental health is real. You got to just make sure people are good around you because you never know what people are dealing with. I’m big on telling everybody I see if I know them or don’t know- what’s up, giving them a smile, asking them how they’re doing because you never know what demons people are fighting. “
Bech’s friend and former teammate, Kyren Lacy, tragically took his own life earlier this year following a series of devastating events. Lacy had been involved in a hit-and-run accident in Louisiana that claimed the life of an elderly man. The authorities arrested him two days later and scheduled a grand jury hearing to determine the next steps in his case. But that hearing never happened.
Just two days before he was due in court, Lacy reportedly had an intense interaction with a family member, during which he discharged a firearm into the ground and fled. That led to a high-speed police chase. When the pursuit ended in a crash, officers discovered Lacy in the vehicle with a fatal gunshot wound. It was later confirmed that he had died by suicide.
As Bech was still processing that devastating loss, he continued to grieve his older brother, Tiger, who lost his life in the January terrorist attack on Bourbon Street in New Orleans.
Jack had been at his uncle’s house that day, enjoying a quiet afternoon and planning to hit the golf course. But the next morning, his phone began to buzz—messages from family members breaking the news of the terrorist attack and confirming that Tiger had been there.
It wasn’t until several agonizing hours later that the family located Tiger. After calling countless hospitals and sharing his description, they finally received a call from a hospital saying they were treating someone who matched it.
Jack’s father rushed to the hospital, hoping for answers. But when he arrived, he wasn’t allowed to see his son. Tiger was in the ICU, under close observation, as doctors worked to stabilize him.
Though he couldn’t be by his bedside, Jack’s dad was able to confirm his identity heartbreakingly—through the Rolex watch Tiger was wearing, the same one his father had gifted him on the graduation day.
In the span of just a few months, Jack Bech lost two people he loved deeply, both of whom had left a lasting impact on his life. His faith has helped them deal with the losses as he prepares for the next phase of his life in the NFL. But as he continues to prepare for it, he’s also trying to use his platform to encourage compassion, empathy, and openness when it comes to mental health.
