Former Virginia Tech WR Josh Morgan Donates Kidney to Save Brother's Life
With all of the uncertainty regarding college football in 2020 and the current COVID-19 pandemic, we could sure use some good news.
On Tuesday, one former Virginia Tech star made news in the best possible way.
Kareem Copeland of The Washington Post wrote an excellent story that featured former Virginia Tech wide receiver, Josh Morgan, giving one of his kidneys to his younger brother.
Morgan, 35, is the oldest of three sons of Dennis and Lawanda Morgan. In March, Josh Morgan went on the operating table alongside his younger brother, Daniel, to help save — and prolong — Daniel’s life.
It was a moment Lawanda Morgan couldn’t fully enjoy.
“I was overwhelmed with joy and worry,” Mrs. Morgan said, “because I was not going to have just one son going through a major surgery in a pandemic, but the other one going under with him. So it still had you very worried until all that was over with.”
Daniel Morgan had suffered from kidney disease for years, and it became too much for Josh Morgan, who was tired of seeing his younger brother suffer.
“It’s one of those situations, as a big brother, when you’re always the protector,” Josh said. “You’re like: ‘God, just give me the pain. Don’t make him go through it.’ It was like he was deteriorating. All of his energy was just gone.”
Now, Daniel is feeling better than ever, back working, and leading a healthy life.
Morgan played at Virginia Tech from 2004-07, and when he left Blacksburg was No. 2 on the school’s all-time receiving list in receptions. He was also top five in both receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.
After his time with the Hokies, Morgan would enjoy a solid seven-year career in the NFL with stops in San Francisco, Washington and Chicago. Since leaving the NFL, Josh Morgan has become a successful entrepreneur, while also dabbling in acting and coaching.
During a time where we could all use some encouraging news, this was as good as it gets.
Bryan Manning has covered college football, college basketball, the NFL and MLB for numerous outlets since 2011. Bryan has written about Virginia Tech athletics for Bleacher Report and SB Nation. Bryan also contributes at Redskins Report on the SI Network and LSU Wire on the USA TODAY SMG network.