Stanford Star Soccer Player Katie Meyer Committed Suicide, Her Parents told NBC

By: Thomas Blade

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Stanford University star Katie Meyer has committed suicide, her mother told NBC’s “Today” during an emotional interview Friday.

Meyer, a senior who helped secure the 2019 NCAA championship title for Cardinal, was found dead in her dorm room Tuesday, according to the university.

“The last few days are like a parent’s worst nightmare and you can’t wake up. So it’s horrible,” Shared Gina Meyer, Katie’s mother, during the pre-recorded interview.

“She was excited and had a lot of projects. I had a lot of things to do, but I was happy. He was in a very good mood,” Gina Meyer added.

“She was the usual Katie rejoices,” Father Steve Meyer added.

Gina Meyer acknowledged that the pressure to be perfect and be “the best” could lead to anxiety. But “the only thing we can think of that could trigger something,” he said, was some kind of disciplinary action at the university. Katie had recently defended a person on her team on campus over an incident and was facing repercussions for that, her parents said, pointing to that as the possible turning point for their daughter.

Stanford released a statement Friday saying, “Our entire community is devastated by Katie’s death, and we share our deepest condolences with Katie’s family and everyone who knew her at Stanford, across the country, and around the world. Katie impacted so many lives. We cannot share information about confidential student disciplinary matters. We, as a university community, remain grieving for Katie’s family and cherish our memories of her.”

Stanford University goalkeeper Katie Meyer shakes hands with her teammates last year.

“We’re fighting right now, struggling to know, you know, what happened and why it happened. You know, we’re kind of heartbroken. We’re so heartbroken,” Gina Meyer said, her voice broken with emotion.

The mother wore her daughter’s red sweatshirt during the interview because “all moms will understand it, but when you smell it, it smells like it. It smells like Katie. You know, just his scent,” he said, his hand over his heart, as he sobbed. “I use it because I want to be close to her, so yes, it’s hers.”

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