Behind The Blue

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 10, 2025) – [THIS IS AN ENCORE EPISODE]  In the summer of 2020, UK Football player JJ Weaver lost both his father and high school football coach in successive months. Weaver, a graduate who plays outside linebacker, says he channeled his emotions into football until an injury later that fall sidelined him and left him with no outlet. Struggling with anger and grief, JJ began falling behind in class and regressing from his teammates, until the UK coaching staff pulled him aside to try and understand what was happening. From there, Weaver’s path eventually led him to a senior capstone class with Nicole Breazeale, an associate professor of community and leadership development in the UK College of Agriculture, Food & Environment, where he shared his journey with fellow students.  As a final project in the class, Breazeale connected Weaver and two other students with Emily Johnson, the clinical programs manager at the Kentucky Center for Grieving Children and Families, where they deve