



GREEN BAY –Peter Mortell had just sat down to eat lunch when his phone rang on Sunday.

On the line was former Wisconsin punter Drew Meyer, a close friend of Mortell's who was working the annual Kohl's Kicking National Invitational Scholarship Camp in Wales, Wis.

The Packers' rookie punter, a former Big Ten punter of the year at Minnesota, had participated in the camp for the past few years with Meyer, former Michigan State punter Mike Sadler and Nebraska's Sam Foltz, the reigning Big Ten punter of the year.

However, Mortell declined an invitation to this year's camp with the Packers reporting early to training camp.

"They asked me if I'd make it down, for whatever reason I didn't pull the trigger this year for the first time in a while," Mortell said.

Meyer's call could've been about anything based on the nature of their friendship, but Mortell could tell by the emotion in Meyer's voice that something was wrong.

He went on to explain that Sadler and Foltz had been killed Saturday night when Sadler lost control of his car on a rain-soaked highway near Merton, Wis., and collided with a tree.

LSU kicker Colby Delahoussaye was also involved in the crash but was later released from the hospital.

They were on their way back from the camp and heading to Meyer's home where Mortell and his friends previously stayed the past few years in lieu of the dorms.

Meyer, traveling in the car ahead of them, grew nervous when he got back to his house and they couldn't be reached. When he finally retraced his route home, Meyer noticed the police lights in the distance.

The news hit Mortell hard.

"I went outside and I just broke down because you can't believe it," Mortell said.