When the Gators departed Gainesville en route to Michigan on Friday, freshman Sydney Moss was not with the team.
Instead, she was with her family in Kentucky, mourning the passing of her grandfather, Frank Offutt.
Offutt, 73, passed away Wednesday following complications from surgery to treat Pure Autonomic Failure.
For Moss, the loss was especially painful.
Sydney is the daughter of San Francisco 49ers receiver Randy Moss, who began playing in the NFL in 1998. Offutt became the father figure in Sydney’s life during Randy’s absence.
“He’s been a huge influence,” Sydney said of Offutt earlier this season. “He always told me I could make it.”
Moss reached Michigan in time to play in Florida’s 59-53 loss on Saturday.
She arrived early Saturday morning and was driven directly to UF’s pregame shootaround.
Moss made 5 of 15 shots, scoring 11 points and pulling down five rebounds in 25 minutes on the floor. Coach Amanda Butler was proud of the way Moss played through grief.
“We knew that [Moss] wasn’t going to play as much, but when I talked to her right before the game, it was just give us whatever she had,” Butler said. “If she didn’t have anything, that was okay. We all understood that.”
Moss returned to Kentucky following the game. She missed practice Monday but is expected back tonight when Florida (5-3) faces Troy (1-5) at 7 in the O’Connell Center.
Moss credits Offutt with providing the support that helped launch her basketball career. “Papa,” as she affectionately refers to him, was the first person to encourage her to pick up a basketball.
“When I got older, like eighth grade, he was the one that told me I could go somewhere with this basketball career,” Moss said. “My whole AAU season, he was there. He would travel with me anywhere.”
When Moss returns to the team, her second family will be ready to help ease the pain, redshirt freshman Carlie Needles said.
“We knew how close [Moss] was to her grandpa, and every game we play she is going to be playing for her grandpa,” Needles said. “We are going to help her.”
