UCONN 3-UNC 0... And the Story Behind UCONN’s Greg Lloyd, Jr.

If you’re watching UCONN-UNC, you may have just noticed Greg Lloyd, Jr. envelop Carolina’s QB T.J. Yates for third down sack mid-way through the second quarter. His father, the ESPN U announcers mentioned, is former Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro middle linebacker, Greg Lloyd.

Greg Jr. is following in his father’s footsteps at middle linebacker, and he’s one of UCONN’s defensive stars. Yet another fairy tale ending for an athlete’s offspring, right?

Err... Not so much.

He has not spoken to his father since 2002 and says he has no relationship with the man. According to press accounts of his testimony at the first trial, Greg Jr. said his father put the barrel of a Glock semiautomatic pistol in his mouth because he allegedly was upset about his 12-year-old son’s grades in school.“He was like, `You’re wasting your life away and if you want to ruin it, I can end it for you right now,” Greg Jr. said at the trial.

Damn. Sobering stuff, there, from Can’t Stop the Bleeding. Here’s to hoping he can overcome those demons and have a wildly successful career that his Dad won’t be a part of--but as a Carolina fan watching my team struggle against that UCONN defense, maybe Lloyd’s “wildly successful career” could wait until next week?

It’s been a back-and-forth half, with neither team mustering much offense. UCONN just took the lead going into halftime on a 47-yard field goal, and UNC kicker Casey Barth missed a 44-yarder of his own that would have made this a tie game. Hopefully, the offenses will get going in the second half, and this will become more than just a kicking contest.