Washington State adds ‘26’ sticker to helmets in honor of former teammate Bryce Beekman

Nobody at Washington State is wearing Bryce Beekman’s number this season, but the Cougars  made sure their former teammate was still on the field with them in some capacity.

WSU players are wearing helmet stickers with Beekman’s No. 26 this season as a tribute to the safety who died in the offseason after acute intoxication of fentanyl and promethazine.

The helmet stickers read “26” but if you look closely enough, the body of the crimson numbering is made up of small script reading “Fly high.”

Earlier in the offseason, WSU defensive tackle Dallas Hobbs created a variety of different stickers with Beekman’s number and likeness, then donated the proceeds from sticker sales to the family of the former WSU player.

In a preseason Pac-12 media webinar Cougars coach Nick Rolovich confirmed nobody would be wearing Beekman’s No. 26 this season, reasoning “we believe he’s still with us and will have an effect on how we move forward this season. I think it’s hopefully a tribute to him and his life and his family. I think that also can be hard to wear that number after a tough deal this team’s gone through.”