Stanford goalkeeper Katie Meyer, 22, was facing disciplinary hearing when she took her own life


The heartbroken parents of Stanford soccer goalie Katie Meyer revealed on Friday that the 22-year-old was took her own life after learning that she was facing a disciplinary hearing and might be in trouble. 

Meyer was found dead in her dorm room on Tuesday with what a coroner has determined to be self-inflicted wounds, just days after complaining of knee pain from her February 1 surgery. 

Gina and Steven Meyer appeared on the Today Show this morning to talk about their daughter, with the sobbing mother wearing Katie’s red sweater because ‘it smell like Katie.’

‘[It] sounds crazy but everybody’s mom is gonna understand this,’ Gina told reporter Stephanie Gosk. ‘When you smell it, it smells like her… I’m wearing it because I want to be close to her.’

The parents last spoke to Katie just hours before her suicide and said that nothing seemed amiss about their ‘jovial’ daughter’s demeanor.

Steven and Gina Meyer, the parents of Stanford goalkeeper Katie Meyer, who died by suicide this week, appeared on the Today Show on Friday, with the mom wearing her daughter's red sweater

Steven and Gina Meyer, the parents of Stanford goalkeeper Katie Meyer, who died by suicide this week, appeared on the Today Show on Friday, with the mom wearing her daughter’s red sweater 

Gina said she wore Katie's sweater, which she was seen wearing in a TikTok video, because it still smells like her

'I'm wearing it because I want to be close to her,' she said

Gina said she wore Katie’s sweater, which she was seen wearing in a TikTok video, because it still smells like her. ‘I’m wearing it because I want to be close to her,’ she said

The parents revealed that Katie was facing a disciplinary hearing over an incident during which she defended a teammate

The parents revealed that Katie was facing a disciplinary hearing over an incident during which she defended a teammate 

‘She was excited,’ mom Gina recalled. ‘She had a lot on her plate. She had a lot going on. But she was…she was happy. She was in great spirits.’

According to the parents, Katie might have been ‘triggered’ after receiving an email, notifying her of an impending disciplinary ‘trial.’  

Steven Meyer said Katie had been involved in an unspecified incident on campus, in which she defended a teammate.

‘We’ve not seen that e-mail yet,’ Gina said. ‘She had been getting letters a couple months. This letter, the final letter, [said] that there was going to be a trial or some kind of something. This is the only thing that we can come up with that triggered [her].’

The Santa Clara County Medical Examiner Officer said on Thursday her ‘death was determined to be self-inflicted.’ 

‘We are exceedingly saddened to hear about the death of Katie Meyer, a beloved, talented, and respected Stanford student, athlete and Santa Clara County resident,’ it said.

‘The County of Santa Clara Medical Examiner-Coroner is investigating Kathryn Meyer’s death. There is no indication of foul play, and Meyer’s death was determined to be self-inflicted.’ 

Her death comes days after she complained of pain after knee surgery.   

The Santa Clara County Medical Examiner Officer said on Thursday that 22-year-old Katie Meyer’s ‘death was determined to be self-inflicted’

Meyer's was the goalkeeper for the Stanford women's soccer team

Meyer’s was the goalkeeper for the Stanford women’s soccer team

In a video explaining a typical Friday in the life of a Stanford soccer goalie, Katie Meyer said she took practice easy that morning ‘because my knee is very swollen.’

She had previously posted on February 1 that she was undergoing surgery on her right knee, sharing videos of her scrolling through TikTok beforehand and telling her thousands of followers that when she came out of surgery the nurses were laughing and said she ‘was the most fun patient coming off of anesthesia ever.’

‘Apparently I was p*ssed that my anesthesiologist left because I wanted to tell him he was the man #funtimes,’ she captioned the video. 

Meyer, a senior majoring in international relations and minoring in history at the school, also posted photos to of her in crutches following the surgery, as she went to get a coffee and played with Star Wars Legos.

‘For context, I finally got a quick surgery to address pain I’ve been having for about a year,’ she tweeted. ‘I have a short, short (8 to 10 week) recovery till I’m fully back, but it is so worth feeling 100 per cent’

‘Health is wealth, and I’m in great spirits and excited to be caring for my body.’

Things seemed to be going well after that, as she shared photos from practices and spoke about how she was getting coffee with friends on Friday before going to a sorority dinner.

But on Tuesday morning, Meyer was found dead in her dorm room. 

Katie Meyer, 22, had shared pictures of her last month after she underwent knee surgery. She was found dead in her dorm room on Tuesday morning

Katie Meyer, 22, had shared pictures of her last month after she underwent knee surgery. She was found dead in her dorm room on Tuesday morning

Things seemed to be going well after the surgery, with Meyer posting a video of her plans on Friday. But in it, she mentioned that her knee was still swollen

Things seemed to be going well after the surgery, with Meyer posting a video of her plans on Friday. But in it, she mentioned that her knee was still swollen 

She had shared photos of herself with her father Steve in the days leading up to her death, with their closeness evident in the moving shots.   

Stanford officials confirmed her death in a statement on Wednesday, writing: ‘We will grieve this loss together, and will be here for each other.’ 

Meyer, of Newbury Park, California, earned national fame in 2019 after she made two critical saves to help the Cardinals win its third NCAA championship. 

Her reaction to making the second save – where she looked directly into ESPN’s camera and pantomimed locking her mouth shut and throwing away the key went viral with 5,900 likes.  

She retweeted the video at the time, hitting back at those who left her mean comments, writing that there were ‘some tough replies under this one.

‘But if you told my nine-year-old self that ESPNFC would show a save she made? I think she’d find a way to get over a few mean comments.

‘Also the comments aren’t even that creative,’ Meyer added.  

Meyer grew up playing the sport she loved, participating in club soccer as a child. She was even considered as an alternate for the U17 World Cup in 2016. 

Over the course of her four years at Stanford, Meyer had twice been the women’s soccer team captain and had twice made it to the Pacific-12 Conference’s honor roll, according to Mercury News. 

In total, Meyer played in 50 games across three seasons, producing 20 shutouts and winning 34 matches while only allowing 35 goals.

Her goaltending was one of the main reasons Stanford was able to clench the national championship in 2019, when the team went undefeated with 16 starts and 11 shutouts. 

Meyer, of Newbury Park, California , earned national fame in 2019 after she made two critical saves to help the Cardinals win its third NCAA championship (pictured: playing for Stanford)

Meyer, of Newbury Park, California , earned national fame in 2019 after she made two critical saves to help the Cardinals win its third NCAA championship (pictured: playing for Stanford)

On Wednesday, said the family was 'broken-hearted' and was not ready to talk, but directed those who wanted to donate to a GoFundMe page that since raised almost a $140,000 as of earlier Friday morning

On Wednesday, said the family was ‘broken-hearted’ and was not ready to talk, but directed those who wanted to donate to a GoFundMe page that since raised almost a $140,000 as of earlier Friday morning 

Meyer shared a photograph of her with her father Steve and their pet dog shortly before her sudden death

Meyer shared a photograph of her with her father Steve and their pet dog shortly before her sudden death

She won an immense amount of awards, including 'the 2018-2019 PAC12 Championship, the NCAA National Championship in 2019, two College Cup appearances and more during her soccer career

She won an immense amount of awards, including ‘the 2018-2019 PAC12 Championship, the NCAA National Championship in 2019, two College Cup appearances and more during her soccer career 

She won an immense amount of awards, including ‘the 2018-2019 PAC12 Championship, the NCAA National Championship in 2019, two College Cup appearances, 2019 College Cup All-Tournament Team, 2019 United Coaches West Region Third Team, 2019, 2020-2021 two-time PAC12 fall academic honor roll and 2021 CoSIDA academic All-District 8,’ among others. 

Katie also participated in national teams in Italy and the Netherlands, as well as camps across the world, according to a GoFundMe set up to pay for her funeral expenses. 

‘To read this long list of extraordinary accomplishments cannot even begin to describe the amazing daughter, sister, friend and teammate that Katie was,’ it reads.

‘To know Katie was to love Katie. She was larger than life, an incredibly bright shining light on and off the soccer field and for our community. She was a leader in everything she pursued.’

Following the announcement of her death, Meyer’s sister Sam Perez posted on her Instagram Stories honoring her sister.

‘There are no words,’ Perez wrote on Instagram. ‘Thank you for all the kindness extended to my family. I’m not ready to post anything big yet. We are broken-hearted and love Kat so much.’

She also linked to a GoFundMe for Meyer’s funeral expenses, which as of early Friday morning had raised nearly $140,000 for the cause. 

If you or someone you love if experiencing suicidal thoughts or actions, call the National Suicide Hotlines number toll-free at 1-800-273-8255. 

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