The life and death of Katie Meyer, the Stanford soccer player who died by suicide at age 22 in 2022, is the subject of a new ESPN E60 episode titled Save: The Katie Meyer Story.
An exclusive look at the episode shared with PEOPLE shows Meyer’s promising career on the field and her joy in representing Stanford, but also delves into the aftermath of her tragic death and why her parents filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the university.
The clip begins with audio from Meyer’s podcast, recorded before her death, as she tells listeners, “There was a lot of debate on how I wanted to do this first episode. I knew I wanted to tell my story. Welcome to episode 1 of Be The Mentality. I am your host, Katie Meyer.”
The clip then shows footage of Katie speaking with her father Steve for the very first episode of Be The Mentality. She turns to him and says, “My first guest today is my father,” before the footage in the clip turns to vintage home videos of Katie as a child, then shifts into moments showing her growing up and pursuing her college soccer career at Stanford, where she was the starting goalie and team captain.
The clip then returns to footage from Katie’s podcast, where she asks Steve, “I’ve been kind of chewing on this: what do you think a lesson is that someone just has to learn on their own?”
Related: USWNT’s Sophia Smith Dedicates World Cup Goal to Late Teammate Katie Meyer: ‘We Just Want to Honor Her’
Katie, who hoped to study at Stanford law school after completing her undergraduate degree, was found dead in a campus residence on March 1, 2022, just months before she was set to graduate.
“She was driven to graduate from there. That didn’t happen,” Steve says in the clip, while Katie’s mom Gina tearfully says, “It’s every parent’s nightmare. She’s not our kid.”
The lawsuit filed by Gina and Steve in 2022 alleges that Stanford was negligent in their support for Katie after they issued a disciplinary charge against her for allegedly spilling hot coffee on a Stanford football player accused of sexually assaulting one of her teammates, per Sports Illustrated. The disciplinary charge meant Katie’s diploma was placed on hold for three months.
ESPN
Steve Meyer, Katie Meyer’s father
Related: Parents of Stanford Soccer Star Katie Meyer Open Up About Her Death: ‘Worst Nightmare’
Katie allegedly “immediately responded to the email expressing how ‘shocked and distraught’ she was over being charged and threatened with removal from the university,” the 2022 complaint stated.
The complaint further alleges, “Stanford’s after-hours disciplinary charge, and the reckless nature and manner of submission to Katie, caused Katie to suffer an acute stress reaction that impulsively led to her suicide.”
Stanford has denied any wrongdoing or liability in Meyer’s death. The university’s assistant vice president of external communications, Dee Mostofi, previously told PEOPLE in a statement: “The Stanford community continues to grieve Katie’s tragic death and we sympathize with her family for the unimaginable pain that Katie’s passing has caused them. However, we strongly disagree with any assertion that the university is responsible for her death.”
The case will go to trial April 13, 2026, according to a listing on the Santa Clara County Superior Court of California website, per USA Today.
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ESPN’s E60 episode on Meyer and her family will also feature Katie’s sisters Sam and Siena, along with Gina and Steve. Save: The Katie Meyer Story is reported by two-time Olympic gold medalist Julie Foudy, and directed and produced by former Division 1 collegiate soccer player Jennifer Karson-Strauss.
Save: The Katie Meyer Story premieres Saturday, May 10, at 11 a.m. ET on ESPN, and will also stream on ESPN+.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to 988lifeline.org.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
Read the original article on People
