CSU Offensive Lineman Barry Wesley Hopes To Educate With His Powerful Story

On June 12, Black Colorado State University football player Barry Wesley shed light on an experience, which he deemed the "the most unforgettable day of his life," to his team.

On June 12, Colorado State offensive lineman Barry Wesley, who is Black, stood in front of teammates and told them about what he called the "the most unforgettable day of my life," imploring his fellow Black players, “Be careful. If you think it can’t happen to you, it definitely can.”

Wesley and a coworker, Kyle Farrell, had been trying to find clients for their roofing company a day earlier when they were attacked by Scott Gudmundsen, a white resident of Loveland, Col., who was outfitted with body armor, two knives and two guns, including one with an optic sight. Gudmundsen held Wesley at gunpoint during the incident and knelt on the lineman's neck.

Jamie Schwaberow/Sports Illustrated

Police eventually arrived at the scene and arrested Gudmundsen on two counts of felony menacing and false imprisonment, plus two charges of illegal firearm use.

While Gudmundsen claimed he was protecting his community from what he believed to be antifa, Wesley thinks Gudmundsen's attack was a product of the current racially-charged climate in the United States.

While Wesley continues to process what happened to him, he realizes that vulnerability through his trauma will both help him understand what he's been through and educate those around him about the social injustices Black people face in the U.S.

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