Miami was supposed to be the dream getaway for four Texas A&M - Commerce football players who rented a boathouse.
"It was Xavier's first trip out of the state of Texas," said head football coach, David Bailiff.
But it quickly turned into a nightmare for Xavier Morris of San Antonio and Jay Bias from Prosper.
Just hours after their late night flight on Friday, March 15, the hungry linebackers walked to the grocery store while their teammates stayed behind, promising to cook. The pair, unknowingly headed into the path of a robber.
"Xavier was shot in the cheek and it exited his jawbone. He actually was shot three times," Bailiff said.
Shot in the face, Morris insisted his teammate be rushed to the hospital first. Once there, Bias, who was shot four times, had to be resuscitated.
"He had presence of mine to get Jay loaded first and Jay was in critical shape," Bailiff said. "He had told him he thought that was it, so send a message to his mom, little girl, all the people he wanted to say love you too."
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The head coach visited the players in Miami last week.
"It's a miracle that they're both still here," he said.
Now back on campus as students return from spring break, he's thinking about his whole Lion family.
"There's a lot of guys here that need to see them and they need to see each other," Bailiff said.
The road to getting back on the football field could be a long one. Both players will likely have to undergo physical therapy, but Coach Bailiff is hoping to see them play again in August.
"I would sure hope by two-a-days we're able to suit em up, get them going again. I know that's what they want too," he said.
Morris and Bias are now out of intensive care and anxious to heal.
"Hopefully they know how much they're missed and what a big part of this football team they are," Bailiff said.
The University helped set up a GoFundMe page to support the families who are now dealing with unexpected travel and medical expenses out of state.
"You don't realize until you get there the expenses you're gonna have trying to maintain a presence in Miami when they're all from Texas," Bailiff said.
