Harry How/Getty Images Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott is paying for the funeral of Jaylon McKenzie, the 14-year-old promising football player who was shot and killed at a party on Saturday evening. Mike Fisher of 247Sports.com first reported the gesture on Wednesday, which the Cowboys later confirmed. "For him to reach out to me was unbelievable," McKenzie's mother, Sukeena Gunner, told Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "Jaylen loved Ezekiel Elliott. He talked about him all the time. When Ezekiel was playing, he would sit in front of the TV. His eyes were glued to the tv, watching him. Just for him to reach out to me and help me in this difficult time leaves me speechless." ESPN's Todd Archer noted that Elliott "wanted to keep the matter between him and McKenzie's family." "Zeke is really a special guy," Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said, according to Archer. "He's a great football player obviously, but he's a really good person and that doesn't surprise me one bit. "He's just very generous. He's got a great spirit about him. We see that every day as players and coaches. Anybody that's been around him knows that, and it doesn't surprise me one bit that he would get involved there. He's someone that a lot of people look up to, a lot of people certainly in St. Louis and Missouri, Ohio State, all across the country. If you're a fan of football, you know Zeke Elliott, and anybody who's been around him on a daily basis knows what kind of person he is." Video Play Button Videos you might like ESPN's Josina Anderson reported that New York Giants linebacker Markus Golden, who is from St. Louis, also offered financial support to the McKenzie family. According to Fisher's report, McKenzie "already had college offers from the University of Missouri and the University of Illinois" and had "such a promising future he was recently featured in Sports Illustrated." Gunner, told Amir Vera and Rebekah Riess of CNN.com that her son was at a party in Venice, Illinois, when a fight broke out. He was hit by a stray bullet as he was leaving the party. "It's very hard," Gunner said. "It's still like a bad dream, like I'm gonna wake up in the morning and my baby's gonna be smiling at me asking for something to eat like he always does." Football was McKenzie's passion. "He just loved the ball. From the moment he was able to walk and catch, he just wanted the ball," Gunner said. "You could see the talent at 5, but at 6 it was like, 'Wow where did this come from?' and each year he just got better and better." The eighth-grader's favorite players were De'Anthony Thomas, Odell Beckham Jr. and Tavon Austin. Like Elliott, McKenzie played running back, though he was also a wide receiver and defensive back. And despite his burgeoning stardom, he remained humble. "He wasn't a man of many words," Gunner said. "He had a humbling personality. He wasn't very outgoing, but everybody knew him and loved him."<doc-sep>Cowboys' running back Ezekiel Elliott continues to be a hometown hero as he will reportedly pay for a young football star who was killed in his native St. Louis. According to TMZ Sports, Elliot has decided to pay the burial expenses for 14-year-old Jaylon McKenzie. Per reports, the eighth-grader was at a house party following a school dance when a fight broke out forcing McKenzie and his friends to leave the scene. While they were walking outside to head home, McKenzie was struck by a stray bullet leading to his death at a nearby hospital. McKenzie was a budding football prodigy. At just 13 years old the running back/wide receiver was featured by Sports Illustrated as a one of the publication's "Six Teens Who Will Define the Future of Sports." In addition, his athletic prowess was recognized by both the University of Missouri and the University of Illinois, which already extended McKenzie scholarship opportunities. Like many young athletes in the metro-St. Louis area, McKenzie admired Ezekiel Elliot. Once hearing about McKenzie's death and his love for him, Elliot decided to reach out to McKenzie's mother Sukeena Gunner to express his condolences and cover the funeral costs. "For [Elliot] to reach out to me was unbelievable," Gunner told the local Belleville News-Democrat. "Jaylon loved Ezekiel Elliott. He talked about him all the time... Just for him to reach out to me and help me in this difficult time leaves me speechless." Jaylon was well loved on and off the field. He was projected to attend East St. Louis Senior High; East St. Louis has dispatched crisis counselors to all the schools in their district. "Jaylon did everything right. If he did anything wrong, I didn’t know about it," his mother explained. "He got up every morning, went to school, did his work. He never rode with anyone else; I’d take him to school, or sometimes my husband, and we’d pick him up. Then the next day, we’d do it all over again." Illinois State Police are still looking for the suspects behind the shots. They are asking for any witnesses or potential tips to contact Case Agent Scott Wobbe at 618-381-1467. They insist that callers will remain anonymous.<doc-sep>INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 16: Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (21) warms up on the field before the NFL game between the Indianapolis Colts and Dallas Cowboys on December 16, 2018, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN. (Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Dallas Cowboys running back reportedly offered to pay for the funeral of eighth-grade football phenom Jaylon McKenzie who was murdered on Saturday night. Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott reached out to the family of 14-year-old football phenom Jaylon McKenzie to cover the funeral expenses after he was murdered at a party. The news was first reported by 105.3 The Fan in Dallas radio host Ben Rogers and later confirmed by FanSided. McKenzie was shot and killed on Saturday after attending a party in Venice, IL near the Illinois-Missouri border. McKenzie reportedly left the party when a fight broke out and he was struck by a stray bullet outside. McKenzie had dreams of playing in the NFL for the Los Angeles Rams or L.A Chargers. The Belleville, Illinois native was featured in Sports Illustrated’s Future Issue and had offers to from Missouri and Illinois. This is a touching gesture by Elliott who grew up in the area. Elliott was born in St. Louis at St. John’s Mercy (now Mercy Hospital). The family moved to Alton, Illinois when he was three, moved back to St. Louis when he was nine and back to Alton when he was 12. He later went to high school at John Burroughs School in Ladue, Missouri before attending Ohio State. Elliott was once in the same shoes as McKenzie, a young promising athlete with a bright future in football. This tragedy moved him to open his heart and help a grieving family. The Cowboys have raved about the growth and maturity shown by Elliott in recent months. Reaching out to the family in this difficult time to cover the funeral expenses is a moving example of just that. Hopefully, it provided a small bit of comfort for the family as they mourn the loss of a talented young man. Hopefully, Elliott will be able to establish a longstanding relationship with the family and continue to be of support for them.<doc-sep>
Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott will pay for the funeral expenses for Jaylon McKenzie, an eighth-grade football phenom, who was killed on Saturday in Venice, Ill., according to multiple reports. Elliott is also from the St. Louis area, and according to reports, he contacted the family to offer his condolences and offered to pay for the service. "For him to reach out to me was unbelievable," his mother, Sukeena Gunner told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "Jaylen loved Ezekiel Elliott. He talked about him all the time. When Ezekiel was playing, he would sit in front of the TV. His eyes were glued to the TV, watching him. Just for him to reach out to me and help me in this difficult time leaves me speechless." The news was first reported by 105.3 The Fan's Mike Fisher and Justina Coronel of KSDK-TV in St. Louis. Gunner told KSDK that three other NFL players have also reached out. McKenzie attended Central Junior High in Belleville, Ill, and was featured in Sports Illustrated's Future Issue in November 2018. He was one of six teenagers included in the piece. McKenzie told SI his dream was to make the NFL, and he already had offers from Missouri and Illinois. The 14-year-old was shot when a stray bullet hit him as he walked outside to leave a party, Gunner, told CNN. A 15-year-old girl is also in critical condition. "I just started screaming," Gunner told CNN. "I just prayed and asked the Lord not to take my baby. ... It's very hard. It's still like a bad dream, like I'm gonna wake up in the morning and my baby's gonna be smiling at me asking for something to eat like he always does."