Watch Auburn football honor RB Brian Battie for Senior Day
Brian Battie, who suffered a brain injury in a shooting that killed his brother in 2024, was honored during Auburn football’s Senior Day on Saturday.
AUBURN — For the first time in nearly two years, running back Brian Battie saw the field on an Auburn football game day at Jordan-Hare Stadium, receiving a large ovation Saturday, Nov. 22, before the Tigers faced Mercer.
He was honored in the program’s Senior Day festivities, more than a year removed from suffering a traumatic brain injury in a shooting that killed his brother in May 2024.
Battie’s older brother, Tommie Battie IV, suffered a single gunshot wound to the chest in the shooting that took place May 18, 2024, in the siblings’ home town of Sarasota, Florida, and was pronounced dead at the scene. Brian Battie was taken into ICU care and underwent surgery the night of the shooting. On June 15, 2024, he was released from the ICU. Nearly a month later, he was up and walking with the help of a cane.
The shooting effectively ended Battie’s playing career, but he has since returned to Auburn on occasion, most notably for last year’s Iron Bowl, where he also made the trip to Tuscaloosa.
Battie played just one season with Auburn, in 2023. He saw the field in all 13 games and ended the season with 227 yards and one rushing touchdown on 51 carries.
Adam Cole is the Auburn athletics beat writer for the Montgomery Advertiser. He can be reached via email at [email protected] or on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @colereporter. To support Adam’s work, please subscribe to the Montgomery Advertiser.
