Bros before the Bahamas.
Former Florida Gator quarterback Tim Tebow ditched his vacation to visit former high school teammate Rodney Sumter Jr., who was shot three times in the Orlando nightclub attack.
The two were on the football team together at Nease High School in Ponte Vedra, Florida. Sumter went on to play wide receiver at Jacksonville University. Tebow, of course, went on to gridiron greatness by winning a pair of national championships and a Heisman Trophy at Florida.
During the visit Tuesday, Sumter took a photo with Tebow. Sumter posted the photo on Instagram, adding “My high school quarterback left the Bahamas to come and see me. Tebow has always been an awesome person,”
Lucky to be alive
Sumter, 27, was working as a bartender at Pulse the night of the shooting, according to CNN affiliate WFTV. When the shooting began, he attempted to flee, but was shot once in each arm, and once in his back, half an inch from his spine.
He was saved by another club patron that night: Joshua McGill, a nursing student.
McGill and his friends were able to escape the nightclub after hearing gunshots, but when he noticed Sumter behind a car, covered in blood, he jumped in to help.
After using his shirt to make a tourniquet for Sumter’s wounded arms and holding him tightly to stop the bleeding on his back, McGill helped Sumter to safety. He then rode with him to the hospital to keep pressure on the wounds.
“‘I promise you, God’s got this. You’ll be OK,'” McGill said to Sumter.