Report: Cassius Winston expected to play Sunday following tragic death of his brother

The Winston family is dealing with a tragic loss this weekend, but it is being reported that Cassius Winston still intends to play for Michigan State on Sunday evening.

On Saturday evening, the Winston family suffered the loss of Zachary, the 19-year-old brother of Michigan State’s star PG. According to a Detroit Free Press report by Chris Solari, Zachary was struck and killed by an Amtrak train in Albion, Michigan.

Despite that tragedy, Brendan Quinn with The Athletic reported Sunday evening that Winston is dressed and expected to play in the game against Binghampton. However, Winston has been given the option to pull himself from the matchup at any time.

Cassius Winston is at Breslin Center and is dressed for tonight's game vs Binghamton (7 pm).

I'm told that, as of now, he is playing.

He has the option, tho, of pulling himself from lineup at anytime if he decides he can't go ahead with the game.

— Brendan Quinn (@BFQuinn) November 10, 2019

Tip-off is set for 7 pm EST on BTN.

Chris Solari also shared a picture of Winston dressed but on the bench with his brother, Khy, during Michigan State’s warmups:

Khy Winston, right in blue hoodie, puts his arm around his older brother Cassius as they sit with Tum Tum Nairn during MSU’s warmups. Khy is a freshman basketball player at Albion. pic.twitter.com/rX9qSwlEeg

— Chris Solari (@chrissolari) November 10, 2019

Cassius playing in Sunday’s game would be remarkable considering what he and his family are going through. However, any decision he feels is necessary is absolutely the right one as he and his family grieve the loss of Zachary.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Cassius, Khy, and the entire Winston family during this time.

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.