Former Georgia high school football, baseball player drowns on duck hunting trip

BREMEN, Ga. — The Bremen community is mourning the loss of a former high school football and baseball standout who drowned in Alabama.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency confirmed to Channel 2 Action News that crews recovered Brooks Hardie’s body on Monday.

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ALEA officials said Hardie, a 22-year-old from Bremen, disappeared in Lake Guntersville around 8 a.m. Saturday. Hardie was duck hunting when his kayak capsized and pulled him under the water.

He never resurfaced. It took two days of searching before Hardie’s body was found around 3:30 a.m. Monday.

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Hardie grew up in Bremen and graduated from Bremen High School in 2021. He played baseball and football for the Blue Devils.

“My heart hurts. Your family is hurting. Your teammates, classmates, friends, coaches, and teachers are hurting. We all hurt right now, but we appreciate you Brooks Hardie because you made us all better. The world is a better place because you were in it. We love you Brooks,” head football coach Davis Russell wrote on X.

Hardie later played college baseball at Snead State Community College in Alabama. Brooks played for two seasons before he graduated last spring, according to the college.

“He was the true definition of Snead State Baseball. He cared more about the guy to his right and left than he did himself. He wanted nothing more than to make the guys next to him much better,” Snead State Athletic Director and Head Baseball Coach Casey Underwood said.

No funeral arrangements have been announced as of Monday morning.

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