Meter

Issue date: 11/2/09 Section: Sports

(Rico Council)

Sometimes, being in the wrong place at the wrong time can make all the difference. Just ask junior linebacker Rico Council.

This April, on Easter Sunday in his hometown of Chattanooga, Council was shot in a drive-by shooting.

He had been celebrating the holiday with a group of close friends before being shot in the face. The bullet pierced the lower left side of his mouth.

"I was trying to see what was going on," he said. "I did not know what happened or what hit me."

With blood everywhere, Rico's friends rushed him to the nearest hospital. Afterwards his jaws were wired shut and he was forced to drink food through a straw.

After an eight-week recovery, Council returned to classes. He said he poured his energy into getting back on the field.

"I started working really hard to get back in shape because I missed it," he said.
In fact, the psychology major said he wanted to put the entire episode behind him.

"It was a lesson learned," he said. "I was not mad."

Instead, Council said he has learned to
focus on the game, as he plans to do in this year's Homecoming game on Nov. 7.

"The game itself and playing in front of hundreds of people" gets Council motivated to take the field.

"(This) is a big game for us," Council said. "(And) if we win like we are planning to, we will be one step closer to winning the conference."

In fall 2008, Council's first season with the Tigers, he led the team with 67 tackles and was named to both the OVC's Newcomer
Team and the FCS's All-American Second Team.

Because of his leadership abilities on the field, his teammates and coaches nicknamed him "Chief."

Council chose to attend TSU for school, despite being heavily recruited by representatives from the University of Louisville (Ky.) and John Merritt Classic foe Alabama A&M University.

"When I stepped on campus," he said. "I felt at home."

Ultimately, Council hopes to play professional football, but has not ruled out the possibility of coaching.

"I want to start off coaching high school and (then) work my way up to the collegiate level," Council said.•

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