After losing his father to ALS, a Maryland lacrosse standout plays for ‘Pops’ and his family

Grill’s dad died in 2017, about two years after his diagnosis. By now, Grill is comfortable talking about it, so his Maryland teammates know, and some can empathize with the loss. During winter break, before the Terrapins began the 2021 season, assistant coach Jesse Bernhardt mentioned how the players could rally behind these shared experiences — “That we’ve all lost something,” said Grill, the Big Ten defensive player of the year, “or we’ve all had a tragic event happen in our lives, and that’s something that we can support each other through.”