Grand Valley State football’s all-time leading rusher, Martayveus ‘Marty’ Carter, was shot while at a gas station in East Chicago, Ind. 

Carter was initially in critical condition but has since pulled through, though his journey to full recovery is far from over as he is currently facing paralysis from a bullet being lodged in his spine. No further updates have been made available by his family. 

The running back was ruled ineligible for the 2018 season before he declared for the NFL supplemental draft. Though he went unselected, Carter’s professional dreams were far from over as he had a workout scheduled with the Kansas City Chiefs. 

“I was shocked… we got the call he was involved in the shooting, it was just like… shocking. Sad. Then you start to think about him and his health – his long-term health,” GVSU football head coach Matt Mitchell said.

Carter is a grandson, son, brother, father and friend, and the Laker community realizes his importance, as some of his teammates have set up a fundraising page online to help him and his family financially. The effort has accumulated nearly $5,000 as of Aug. 16. 

“We were thinking about putting it into a trust fund so that it could accumulate interest and give his children money to go to college and we were thinking about maybe putting it toward a long term thing so it could help his family more instead of just using it all at once,” kicker J.J. McGrath, who set the page up, said. “We’re not really sure yet, but we want to make sure that whatever we do is going to help the family make the most impact. It’s going to have the most impactful change, whether it’s putting those kids in college or paying for his rehab or whatever. Whatever helps Marty Carter most.”

Another group rallying around Carter and his hopeful recovery is none other than the Lakers’ biggest rivals themselves: the Ferris State Bulldogs. Multiple current and former players and coaches are listed as contributors to the campaign. 

“It was pretty incredible. It’s a lot like the Michigan-Michigan State rivalry where there isn’t a whole lot of respect,” McGrath said. “That was kind of really cool to take a step back from football and see that they were able to kind of pay their homage to Marty as a football player because they went up against him and he put up a lot of yards on them, they saw how amazing of a football player he was but also how amazing of a human he is. Beyond the rivalry, he’s a human, he has kids, he has a life beyond football and beyond that rivalry.

“The game in October against them will be a lot more fun now. I get to play against some dudes that I have a bit more respect for.”

While GVSU is still waiting for the process of investigations to play out before announcing any kind of formal event or tribute to Carter, it would be no surprise to see the Lakers playing with one specific former teammate in mind this season.

Donations are being accepted for Carter and the family at https://www.gofundme.com/martycarter?member=541080.