How a Clemson football player gave a fan a ‘dream’ day after scary news

Brian Darby doesn’t post much about his personal life online. But on Nov. 17, after receiving some jarring news, he knew he needed some extra support.

So he took to X (formerly Twitter) and let his followers know what he’d learned from doctors the day before: Darby, who runs the popular Clemson sports fan account TigerTalk247, had a brain tumor and needed surgery to remove it, and possibly chemotherapy or radiation after that.

“I need prayers,” he wrote.

Darby’s post spread far and wide among Clemson fans online; far enough that Tristan Leigh, the starting left tackle for Clemson’s football team, saw it and messaged Darby that night, offering prayers and writing that “if you ever need anything or just someone to talk to, I’m here for you.”

What happened next, Darby said, was “a dream come true.”

In a stunning gesture of kindness Darby is still taking in two weeks later, Leigh offered to take the longtime Clemson fan and father of two on a tour of the Allen N. Reeves Football Complex the week after Clemson’s regular season ended.

Not only that, but Leigh drove roughly 40 minutes from Clemson to Williamston, the small town in Anderson County where Darby lives, to pick him up and bring him to the facility since Darby can’t drive right now — and, after an unforgettable afternoon, paid for his Uber ride back home.

Leigh didn’t publicize the gesture, but Darby was moved by the offensive lineman’s actions. He publicly thanked Leigh for his hospitality in a Nov. 30 post on @TigerTalk247, attaching a photo of them standing beside a huge Tiger Paw at the front of the football complex.

To Darby, 50, it was both a much-needed boost in light of the news he’d received and a sign of the culture that coach Dabo Swinney’s Clemson program fosters.

“I was like, ‘This guy really cares,” Darby told The State. “It’s not just going out of his way. He really wants to know what my situation is and what’s gonna happen with me in the long term.”

Learning the news

Darby has made a name for himself running TigerTalk247 on X since 2014. He has nearly 7,000 followers on that page — primarily Clemson fans but some players, too — and has nearly 18,000 followers on an Instagram account with the same name.

For years, he’s simply used the accounts to generate conversation and share news, opinions and well made graphics about Clemson sports. Recent posts have celebrated linebacker Barrett Carter returning for his senior season instead of leaving for the NFL Draft, the men’s basketball team’s win over rival South Carolina and Matt Luke’s hiring as the new offensive line coach.

He made an exception, though, after learning last month he was facing surgery to remove a brain tumor and a potentially lengthy recovery process afterward.

Darby — who lives in Upstate South Carolina with his wife of 22 years, his 20-year-old son and his 16-year-old daughter — said he initially started feeling dizzy and lightheaded in October. He spent a day in the emergency room, where doctors deemed him dehydrated. But a month later, those symptoms got worse and “it felt like I was having a stroke,” he said.

A mid-November MRI revealed Darby has a brain tumor and will need surgery to remove it. After that three-hour brain surgery, which is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 15, he will spend a few days in the ICU and begin physical therapy. Further testing on the tumor will reveal if it’s cancerous, in which case he’ll also need to do chemotherapy or radiation.

“I’m out of work until at least January 3 or longer,” Darby said.

Darby’s post on X, revealing the news, has over 100,000 views and generated dozens of responses and messages. One of them came from Leigh, a former five-star recruit who made the jump to Clemson’s starting offensive line group this year.

But Leigh, 20, went beyond a DM. The junior from Virginia promised Darby the Tigers would win their next game — a home game against No. 22 North Carolina — in honor of him. And after Clemson (8-4) beat UNC and rival South Carolina in back-to-back weeks to end the season on a four-game winning streak and secure a spot in the Gator Bowl later this month, Leigh followed up last Thursday with an offer.

Would Darby like to see the team facility?

“I would love to,” Darby said. “Only thing is, I can’t drive.”

“I can come get you,” Leigh said.

An unforgettable day

Leigh showed up at Darby’s house at 1 p.m. that day, just as they’d planned, and they took Interstate 85 down to Clemson for a personalized tour of the Reeves Complex, the football program’s dazzling $55 million, 178,000 square-foot home base that opened in February 2017.

It was a busy hour — in a good way. With the team’s starting left tackle serving as his tour guide, Darby got to check out the team’s wall of ACC and national championship trophies, weight room, indoor practice facility, cafeteria, basketball court, nap room, meeting rooms and players’ lounge featuring ping pong tables and PlayStation 5s.

“It’s a beautiful place,” Darby said.

Outside of Leigh, Darby also met and took photos with starting quarterback Cade Klubnik and defenders AJ Hoffler, Khalil Barnes, Jamal Anderson and Rob Billings. Once he shared his story, he said those players had the same message as Leigh.

“We’re all praying for you,” Klubnik said. “Keep us updated.”

Leigh had planned to drive Darby back home to Williamston that afternoon, but as they were wrapping up their tour he got a notification on his phone for a mandatory, offensive line-only meeting. Swinney had just fired Thomas Austin, Leigh’s position coach of two years.

So Leigh called and paid for an Uber instead and sent Darby back home with a Powerade.

“I sent a message after I got back later in the evening and said ‘I appreciate you showing me around. This was like a dream come true to me. This made my day today,’” Darby said. “And he’s like, ‘Great hanging out with you today, sir. I really loved hearing your story.’ He was really nice.”

Since updating his condition online, Darby said he’s been blown away by the support from Clemson fans online, with dozens of people “messaging me left and right” offering kind words and prayers as he rests up and prepares for his brain surgery this Friday.

He’s also thankful for Leigh.

“Pretty neat,” Darby said. “This guy is going out of his way to show that he really cares about somebody else.”