Statehouse chamber in tears as uncle of Terry Badger III, who died by suicide, testifies

This story explores suicide, including the story of a 13-year-old who took his life. If you are at risk, please stop here and contact 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for support.

INDIANAPOLIS ‒ Tony Badger walked into the Indiana Statehouse in a black, button-up shirt, black slacks and slick new $90 shoes. A self proclaimed "country boy" from Covington, Ind., who mostly wears ball caps and cargo shorts, he was in the big city to do something way out of his comfort zone.

Badger rode the elevator up to the third floor of the statehouse Wednesday afternoon, signed in to testify on House Bill 1483 ‒ legislation aimed to prevent bullying in schools ‒ stood in the back of the Senate chamber and shook.

Never in a million years would Badger have done what he was about to do, stand at a podium and speak to lawmakers, his voice cracking as he broke into tears, his sadness and anger colliding in a way few can understand.

But now, here he was was with a white piece of paper in front of him with the words he wanted to get out, legislators staring at him, everyone in the chamber hanging on his every word. As Badger spoke, his hands holding that paper shook. "This is the hardest thing I will ever have to do," he told lawmakers. But Badger had no other choice.

He had to do this for his nephew, Terry Badger III. As Badger spoke to the Senate Committee on Education, he held a photo of Terry, a 13-year-old baseball phenom known as TB3. He told legislators the story of the nephew he called T-Money who died by suicide March 6 after the family says he endured intense, daily bullying at Covington Middle School.

Badger brought the Senate chamber to tears as he told the story of a kindhearted kid who loved to hunt, fish and was a star on the baseball field. Of a kid who couldn't do anything to stop the daily torments and taunts of kids calling him a "fatass," kids Badger says told Terry the world would be a better place "if you killed yourself."

Inside the chamber, people passed tissues to one another and wiped tears from their eyes. Rep. Vernon G. Smith, D-Gary, the author of House Bill 1483, sat in the back after presenting the law to the committee. He listened to Badger speak and he cried.

The bill requires, among other things, that a school corporation prioritize the safety of a victim of an act of bullying; that the school corporation report an act of bullying to the parents of the victim and the parents of an alleged perpetrator; and that it makes allowances for school transfers depending on the severity of the bullying.

"Lawmakers, if you can't make the change for TB3 and others like him, then I leave you with this," Badger said as he ended his speech. "How would you feel if there was something as leaders, adults, parents and teachers that we could have done to protect one kid, maybe your kid, and the unthinkable happens? How would you feel to get that phone call? Would you propose we make change?

"Or would you let me carry my 13-year-old nephew's casket again?"

The bill passed out of committee with a vote of 11-0 and is headed to the Senate floor. Rep. Smith requested that the law become known as TB3's law. His fellow legislators agreed.

As Badger stood listening to lawmakers, both Republicans and Democrats, voting "yes" one after another in favor of the bill, he knew somewhere Terry was smiling again.

"I went to Terry's grave this morning and I told him, 'Bub I'm going to need some help today,'" Badger said. The help came.

"But it doesn't bring Terry back," Badger said as he held up the photo of Terry he had carried with him all day. "This is the only way I get to hold him now."

'All I heard is my brother screaming and sobbing'

Rep. Smith first saw Terry's story in the IndyStar, he told lawmakers Wednesday, reading passages from the article that included how nothing Terry did was good enough for his bullies.

There was the time Terry got a haircut, went to school the next day and was taunted. That night at 11 p.m. he told his dad he needed a different haircut. "I'm like 'Buddy, I'm not cutting your hair. There is nothing wrong with it,’" his dad Terry Badger II told IndyStar last month. "'It's fine.'"

Terry knew it wasn't fine, not if he didn't change something. "Dad, I'm not going back to school. I'm not getting made fun of anymore," he said. Badger re-cut Terry's hair as the clock neared midnight so he would go back to school. The kids found something else to pick on.

His $150 Nike Air Max shoes. The kids made fun of those. Terry came home from school furious, threw them into his closet and never wore them again, his parents said.

"He tried to please his bullies," Rep. Smith said. But it was never enough.

After the bill passed out of committee, Rep. Smith stood outside the Senate chamber and said he believes Terry's story is what pushed House Bill 1483 forward.

Rep. Smith had been told that the Senate education committee wasn't going to hear his bullying bill, but then he handed them a copy of Terry's story. "I told them, 'Read this until the end,'" he said. "I think that must have been what convinced (them)."

That as well as other parents who testified Wednesday, telling stories of their children being bullied at Indiana schools. Not just verbally, but physically and sexually. Telling stories of school administrators seeming to be more concerned with protecting the perpetrator than the victim. Those parents didn't say the words out loud, that they worried their children would take their lives, but they all cried as Badger spoke.

Badger told about a tiny Terry growing up. He told of the close relationship Terry had with his dad, Terry Badger II, Badger's brother. He talked about how happy Terry was when he wasn't at school. And how awful it was for him when he was.

Then he talked about the day Terry came home from school, left a video that said "I get picked on every (single) day and I hate my life. You can thank (Terry listed his bullies' names) for this." Then Terry turned off the video and put his phone down.

Terry Alan Badger III died by suicide, five months short of his 14th birthday.

"March 6, 2023 at 3:37 p.m., my kids and myself were out playing ball," Badger told lawmakers. "I answered my phone and on the other end of the line all I heard is my brother screaming and sobbing for me to get to his house because Terry (had taken his life)."

Badger called his wife, Summer, and told her what had happened to Terry. "I remember speaking these words with a lump in my throat, anger and sadness in my mind," Badger said. "I will never forget the feeling of hearing those words come out of my mouth."

Outside the house where Terry took his life, a police officer stood on the porch with tears streaming down his face. Mary Badger, Terry's grandmother, pulled into the driveway and ran up to the door.

"And I have to stop her from going into the house. I shield her from what she’s about to see because she wants to hold her grandbaby and wanted him to know she was there," Badger testified. "I had to stop her from what I (now) see every day, the image that replays in my mind over and over.

" A young, vibrant, promising life was over at only 13 years old."

'We cannot let this happen again'

After Terry died, Becky Claypool started a petition on change.org pushing for House Bill 1483 to be passed. Claypool is from Covington and she was bullied in school. She is the mother of two children and a friend of the Badgers'.

More than 82,000 people had signed the petition in Terry's honor as of Wednesday night. Wednesday afternoon, Claypool was at the statehouse with Badger, making her own speech to lawmakers.

The loss of Terry has left the Covington community devastated, she said.

"It is heartbreaking to think that Terry's life could have been saved if stronger bullying prevention measures had been in place at his school," said Claypool. "We cannot let this happen again."

What happened to Terry is not an isolated incident, she told lawmakers.

"Countless stories of bullying and harassment have been shared with me, and they all have a common thread. The victim is the one who suffers the most, while the bully goes unpunished," Claypool said. "This is not acceptable, and it's why we need the TB3 Bill to become law. We need to prioritize the safety of our children and ensure that those who engage in bullying behavior face real consequences.

"Let us not wait for another tragedy to occur."

After the bill passed out of committee, Badger and Claypool hugged. But it was a bittersweet moment.

"It was too late," Badger said, for his nephew. "But if we can save one life, Terry's doing his work."

Honoring Terry Badger III

A change.org petition supporting House Bill 1483 has been started in Terry's honor. As of Wednesday evening, the petition had more than 82,000 signatures. The petition can be signed here.

"The bill, it's our future. It should mean way more than anything right now to us," Terry's dad, Terry Badger II said. "As an adult, as a nation, it's our future and we've got to do something now."

Donations in honor of Terry can be made to The Fountain Trust Company. Checks should be made payable to "FBO Terry Badger III" and mailed to the bank at 615 3rd St., Covington, IN, 47932.

Follow IndyStar sports reporter Dana Benbow on Twitter: @DanaBenbow. Reach her via email: dbenbow@indystar.com.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Uncle of Terry Badger III, who died by suicide, testifies on bullying