Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
TRAGIC TWIST
Jamain Pink’s story was just getting good. With success in the classroom and on the football field at Lincoln, he was making a future for himself and his 2-year-old son. But with one shot, it was all gone.
Lincoln head football coach, Josh Dean, recalls telling Jamain Pink that his story of perseverance could be of interest to a wide audience.
“I joked with him and told him that they could make a movie about his life, the challenges he’s had to overcome and the things that he’s accomplished,” Dean said. But last month the story had a shockingly tragic ending. A mountain of a man at 6-foot-4 and over 300 pounds, Pink was a defensive tackle for the Lions, and at the age of 25, he was closing in on a degree in criminal justice. In the early morning hours of Aug. 10, however, he was shot several times in the parking lot of a Berks County restaurant. And on Aug. 27, Pink succumbed to his injuries while at Reading Hospital.
“It’s a sad story of a person that gets very close to making it, and out of his control it’s all taken away,” Dean said. “If you want to go to a restaurant, you should be able to do that and expect to make it home. Unfortunately, in the world we live in today, some people don’t.”
His position coach at LU, defensive coordinator Frank Turner, attended a viewing and funeral for Pink on Friday in Reading. Most of his teammates, however, were unable to attend as the team is currently sequestered in an on-campus bubble due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“At the time he was shot, we would have been on campus for preseason workouts if not for this virus,” Turner pointed out. “This is exactly why it’s important for our guys to be playing football. Being in school and in a structured environment, it helps to keep them away from some bad things that are just outside their front door.”
Lincoln sent out a letter to students and faculty on social media late last week. Pink leaves behind a 2-year-old son, Jamaine Jr., who got to see his dad play football during the 2019 season. His teammates and coaches nicknamed him “Little Pink.”
“It’s been very tough for his teammates,” said Lincoln Athletic Director Harry Stinson. “I know they are trying to figure out a way to dedicate their workouts to Jamain. That was their friend and their brother, so they are trying to us it as motivation.
“It was an eye opener for a lot of them – just how quickly things can change.”
The Reading Eagle reported that police were dispatched about 1 a.m. to Lit Lounge in Muhlenberg Township for a reported fight that started inside and spilled into the parking lot.
At a later date, authorities arrested the alleged shooter, Andres S. Keyes of Reading following a traffic stop in Hamburg. He is currently in Berks County Prison in lieu of $500,000 bail on charges of attempted murder and related charges. Berks County District Attorney John T. Adams said the charges may be upgraded to homicide following the results of an autopsy.
“It’s taken me a while to come to grips with this because I wonder if there was more I could have done to help him,” Dean said.
“You shouldn’t have to worry about being in the wrong place at the wrong time. People just don’t value life like we all should. I told the players that time and opportunities are fleeting. ‘What are you going to do with the time and opportunities you have?’
“Here was Pink doing everything he could to make the most of his opportunity. But you never know when something will come and affect that.”
Pink started his college playing career at Cheyney. He saw action in 10 games in 2016 and registered 12 tackles. When Cheyney dropped football following the season, Pink decided he wanted to transfer to rival Lincoln.
According to Dean, he had to attend summer school in 2017 to get his grade point average in order, and also had a side-job buying and selling used cars in order to pay his tuition bills before enrolling at Lincoln.
“Few know what he had to go through just to get to Lincoln,” Dean said.
“When he faced adversity or you challenged him, that’s when you got the most out of him,” Turner added.
During the 2018 and 2019 seasons at Lincoln, Pink played in 11 games and amassed 12 total tackles.
“He was a gentle giant for the most part,” Stinson said.
“He was a man amongst boys,” Dean agreed. “He was older than most of our players, but that wasn’t going to stop him. He was a beautiful young man.”
Very strong and athletic, Pink was poised for a breakout senior season in 2020, but it was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Nevertheless, he lost 30 pounds during offseason workouts.
“We were expecting him to be a starter at nose guard,” Turner said. “He was probably in the best shape he’s ever been in since he starting playing football.”
Dean added: “We would always tell him that he had potential. “We’d say: ‘You only have one more season left, why don’t you sell out,’ and he was doing that.”
Heading into fall semester, Pink was carrying a 2.8 grade point average and was on schedule to graduate in December. Stinson is currently working on a way that his family will receive his degree posthumously.
“I thought this was going to be a big season for him,” Dean said. “Jamain had the measurables with his size and speed. Those are two things you can’t teach.
“I’m not saying he would have been a lock for the NFL, but there are other professional leagues now that would have been interested.”
At Muhlenberg High School, Pink played basketball and eventually got into football as an upperclassman. He did not graduate but later got his graduate equivalency degree.
“People like Jamain are told ‘you are not supposed to go to college,’” Turner said.
“He’s a guy that proved that the statistics aren’t always right and that everybody deserves a second chance. This was a case of a guy getting a second opportunity and making the most of it.
“He had a tough upbringing, he lost some friends growing up, but he overcame a lot of things. So this was a devastating blow to his family, and the Lincoln family.
“It’s just so sad.”