Former Nottingham Forest, Xavier U player mourned before kickoff

By Nicholas MendolaJul 7, 2020, 4:51 PM EDT
Nottingham Forest player mourned
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Former Nottingham Forest player and Xavier University graduate Derrick Otim is being mourned on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean after reportedly drowning this weekend in South Carolina.

The Championship side honored Otim with a moment of silence as both Fulham and Forest gathered around the center circle before Forest’s 1-0 loss to Fulham on Tuesday.

Otim scored seven times with nine assists in 70 college games, twice earning All-Big East honors. He also played for current NISA side Detroit City during its time in the NPSL.

It’s clear that Otim’s positive attitude and upbeat personality made huge impacts on both his college teammates and Forest peers.

Here is Otim’s college teammate Sam Sergi, now with USL side New Mexico United, from Cincinnati.com:

“Over the last 24 hours of me having some time to process this, the one thing that keeps coming into my heart is, one, how tragic it is that he passed and the mourning and the grief so many people that he touched are facing, but also the joy that we have in our hearts to have had those moments with him,” said Sergi, a teammate and friend of Otim’s for four years at Xavier. “As terrible as this is, how grateful are we to have had an experience with another human being that has that kind of an impact on your life.

Here’s a selection of memories shared of Otim following his passing.