Teenager killed in accident played football at Pearl-Cohn

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) — A Pearl-Cohn student who planned to play college football next season was killed in a car crash Tuesday night near Madison, Metro Police say.

School officials said Taurus Turrentine Jr. was an all-district defensive tackle, but before playing for the Firebirds, Ronald Taylor Jr. and Khoury Kinnard coached him from age 5 to 12.

“When I first met Taurus he was a shy little kid,” Kinnard said.

“We were playing the Shelbyville Eagles in Shelbyville, and Taurus got three-pointers, and he saw the bigger guy. So the first thing he did was turn around. He didn’t want to block them. He didn’t want to do anything, and that’s a memory I will always tell everyone,” Taylor said.

Taylor said he found out about Turrentine’s death on social media and was in disbelief.

“He has a good family. His mother Trudy, his father,” Taylor said, holding back tears. “If you ask his teammates, you see it. He never had any trouble.

In a statement to News4, his coach at Pearl-Cohn described the 18-year-old as “a 6-foot, 285-pound teddy bear.” It’s a trait his former coach said Turrentine always had.

“That smile. That attitude he had, how he carried himself. I just show that he’s a very respectable young man. With his family, everyone knew what kind of guy Taurus was, say his name,” said Taylor said “They know the positive. With his family, everyone knew what kind of guy Taurus was. Say his name. They know the positive things, and that comes from all of our coaches who coached him.

“Taurus was just a great kid, great smile,” Kinnard said.

Turrentine was a passenger in a Chevrolet Equinox traveling west on Due West Avenue. The 17-year-old driver of the car told police she saw headlights ahead and thought a vehicle was coming into her lane. As a result, she swerved off the road and hit a tree.

Kinnard said he spoke to Turrentine four days ago.

“Call me, like, ‘Hey coach. You know who that is? ‘No, who is that?’ ‘Taurus.’ I said, ‘Hey man. How are you?'” Kinnard said. “I said, ‘Taurus, I love you Big T’ and that was the last time I spoke to him.”

Turrentine was heading to college with a full commute to Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, Kentucky.

“Taurus Turrentine was a 6-foot, 285-pound teddy bear who was one of the strongest kids on the Pearl-Cohn Firebirds football team,” said Pearl-Cohn football coach Tony Brunetti, in a statement. “His teachers, coaches and classmates described him as generous and kind who brought light to the classroom. Our hearts go out to his family as we join them in mourning the loss of this wonderful and talented young man. .

“I saw him sign his letter of intent and I said, ‘Do this for your mum. She did a great job with you’, and he said, ‘I got you as my coach'” , Kinnard said.

“I wish I could, you know, go see him in college,” Taylor said. “I knew he was going to excel in college too. Like I said, he’s a good student here at Pearl. He had done something good to receive a scholarship, not only on the football field, but in the classroom.

Taylor said the 18-year-old was basically family.

“I will cherish those memories and keep his name alive,” Taylor said. “If you see my life on Facebook at the Pearl Games, you’ll hear me scream his name. He’s my boy.”

Turrentine was an all-region defensive tackle for the Firebirds and played at Pearl-Cohn for four years, starting the last three.

He signed in February to play collegiate Lindsey Wilson.

“I was deeply saddened to learn of Taurus’ passing. Our thoughts and condolences are with his family and the Pearl-Cohn community during this extremely difficult time. I had just spoken to him last week and he was working hard and was extremely excited to join the LWC Football program this summer. He will always be a part of our program and we will honor his memory with the way we play on the pitch and behave off the pitch. Our continued prayers to his family.

Metro Nashville Public Schools Student Support Services was in Pearl-Cohn on Wednesday to provide guidance to students and staff.

Metro police said Turrentine and the driver of the vehicle were not wearing seat belts. The police arrested the driver for not having a license or insurance.