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Legendary country music songwriter and former college football player Casey Beathard opened up about the tragic stabbing death of his son, Clay, revealing how his faith helped guide him through the unimaginable event.
In the new Fox Nation special, “Chords of Faith,” narrated by “Fox & Friends” co-host Ainsley Earhardt, Beathard explained how his trust in God allowed him to forgive the convicted killer Michael Mosley for his actions on that fateful December night in Nashville.
“It was just going to kill me to carry all this weight, all this stuff,” he said. “You know, I realized in the wake of this whole process that the more you dig into the Word of God, that he could be trusted with justice. And vengeance, you know, it’s not mine, because that was just gonna weigh on me. Vengeance was God, it helped me [be] free and let me let it go.”
Casey Beathard gives a speech onstage at the 53rd Anniversary Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala on October 11, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
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Beathard described the great pain he felt for Mosley, explaining that he “wasn’t loved growing up” and expressed his sympathy for the Tennessee man convicted of killing his son.
“Because this kid, honestly, when I looked across the room at this kid, it was so sad for a young kid to have to spend his whole entire life in prison,” he said. “His parents weren’t there, and I think he was looking for love and found love in the wrong, wrong, wrong places.”
Clay, a 22-year-old quarterback for the Long Island University Sharks football team, and his friend Paul Trapeni III, 21, were killed in December 2019 outside The Dogwood bar in Nashville. Attorneys said Mosley pulled a knife during a fistfight, resulting in the deaths. Mosley was charged and convicted of first-degree murder in March 2022 and sentenced to two consecutive life sentences plus 40 years.
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Clay Beathard, one of Casey Beathard’s five children, was tragically stabbed to death outside a bar in Nashville on December 21, 2019. (Fox Nation)
“Chords of Faith” goes beyond Beathard’s family tragedy and into his storied music career. After playing college football at Elon University, in 1991, he moved to the Music City and never looked back, working at the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Bluebird Café before signing a songwriting contract that launched his success.
Beathard wrote songs for some of the most prolific country music artists, including Kenny Chesney, Eric Church and George Strait. Many of his hit songs topped the Billboard Hot Country and Country Airplay charts, including Tracy Byrd’s “Ten Rounds with Jose Cuervo,” Chesney’s “Don’t Blink” and Church’s “Hell of a View.”
“Casey’s one of the best songwriters this town’s ever known,” Chesney said on the show. “[He] changed my life.”
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Church credited Beathard for writing relatable music, boasting that he does it “probably better than anyone at incorporating what we all experience in everyday life.”
NFL quarterback CJ Beathard praised the strength of his parents after his younger brother Clay was killed outside a Nashville bar in 2019. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images))
Beathard remains an inspiration to his children, not only for his chart-topping hits but also for his unwavering dedication to fatherhood, especially in the wake of Clay’s death. His eldest son, C.J., an NFL quarterback, praised both his father and mother, Susan, for their strength and resilience through the tragedy — maintaining they set a lasting example for their children.
“It was hard on us, but for the parents, it’s tough,” C.J. said. “And to see the way my mom and dad handled that was very inspiring for us all as siblings.”
To fully experience the stories and sounds of Casey Beathard’s life, stream “Chords of Faith,” now available on Fox Nation.
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