Why it will be an emotional return to Utah for TCU corner JaTravis Broughton
It will be a bittersweet homecoming for TCU cornerback JaTravis Broughton when he returns to Salt Lake City on Saturday to face his former team.
Before arriving in Fort Worth, Broughton was a key piece on the Utah defense as the Utes had one of its best stretches in program history. Boughton started in 29 games over 47 games for Utah including being named All-Pac 12 in 2020 and he also played a pivotal role during the 2022 season where the Utes made the Rose Bowl.
While he had so much success there, it was also a place where he experienced one of his greatest personal tragedies. On Sept. 26, 2021 Broughton’s teammate Aaron Lowe was shot and killed at a house party in Salt Lake City. The assailant, Buk Mawut Buk, pleaded guilty to Lowe’s murder and an attempted murder of a female victim earlier this year in March.
According to police, all Lowe did was ask Buk’s friend to move their vehicle. It resulted in an argument and then the shooting that rocked the Utah community including Broughton. Not many would leave a great on the field situation, but for Broughton it became more difficult to enjoy the game he loved while being so close to the place where he lost a brother.
“There were a lot of tragedies on the Utah team,” Broughton said back during fall camp. “I had a couple teammates in the dorms and one of them passed. It was just a lot going on, I was just trying to find something new for my last year and make the most of it.”
Dealing with grief isn’t something that’s easily prepared for, especially for a high level Division I athlete. Between trying to maintain his grades, keep up his performance on the field and just life as a college student, it was difficult for Broughton to truly make peace with Lowe’s death.
It’s been three years since the tragic shooting and Broughton is still trying to accept what happened.
“I came in with ALowe, that was my brother for real,” Broughton said Tuesday. “He was just a selfless person. He’ll go out of his way for anybody and for that event to happen, it was just devastating, devastating for the whole team. I lost my brother when I was younger and it just brought up old memories of so much pain.
“He had so much love for the team and football, I just know he wanted to ball.”
Grief comes in various stages from outright denial to playing the ‘What if’ game to simply just missing the presence of a loved one. Broughton has dealt with all those emotions over the last few years.
It’s still an ongoing process that never really stops, but it’s helped that Broughton is closer to home.
“It was just devastating man, just so many bad memories that start to add up on you,” Broughton said. “I was trying to get closer to family, just wanted to get a fresh start. It took me a long time to be able to be cool with it, but it’s always in the back of my mind. Some days are better than others, but there are those days when it’s like ‘Damn, I do miss by brother.’”
Personal stakes will be high for Broughton as he’s facing many of his former teammates and also trying to help the Horned Frogs get their season back on track.
All of that is important, but Broughton will be playing for a higher purpose when TCU faces Utah Saturday night.
“I’m definitely going to play for him this game,” Broughton said.
