CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- What he saw early Saturday morning will remain with Marshall senior Emmanuel Spann forever.

A few minutes after saying goodbye and going their separate ways outside of Fluid Nightclub on Huntington's 4th Ave., Spann found himself standing in the middle of the street looking down at Donte Newsome.

His friend and former football teammate had been shot and was near death.

"As I was walking away, I heard gun shots," Spann said. "When I went back to see what had happened, I saw the owners and bouncers (from Fluid) holding him on the ground. He was still breathing, but he was in shock. He had blood all around him.

"It was a sight to see. It was an image that burns in your mind."

Newsome's murder is a painful reminder to Spann and the Thundering Herd's other student-athletes: If they choose to visit bars, dance clubs and other establishments late at night, especially if they decide to drink alcoholic beverages, they need to do so with the utmost caution.

"It makes you think a little bit," Spann said. "I just hope this opens everybody's eyes and makes them be careful. This could happen to any of us."

Redshirt freshman Terrell Edwards agreed.

"Myself, I really don't participate in the late-night activities that much," said Edwards, who attended a candlelight vigil for Newsome on Sunday night. "Sometimes, I do. But this will make me rethink that. To find out Donte had been shot ... it had a huge impact on me as far as my mindset.

"You never know who people are and what they are capable of. It's just best to avoid trouble. Even if you do decide to go to a bar, when it closes, leave. Go straight to your car and go home. That way, there's no confrontation."

Edwards is one of the Thundering Herd's promising young stars.

"I want to make sure I fulfill my potential and expand my potential," said the tailback, who also has another reason to stay safe: a baby boy due later this month. "I have a place I want to be in a couple of years, and it has three letters (NFL). I won't say it now because I'm not ready to reach my goal yet.

"If I have to sacrifice the nightlife to get there, I will. I want scouts to look at me and say, 'Wow, this guy not only has great athletic ability, but he also has good parents and a good background. He has no criminal record and no off-the-field issues. I know what I want to do and I know where I want to be. I'm not going to do anything that could mess it up."

Marshall Coach Mark Snyder and his staff prefer their players not visit bars and clubs.

"They just want us to make sure we accomplish our goals and nothing interferes with that," Edwards said.

However, expecting football players to stay away from bars and clubs isn't realistic. Like many Marshall students, they are college kids who want to drink beer and meet girls.

"What is the world coming to when an athlete can't go out and have a good time in a college town without dealing with the aftermath," Spann said. "It makes you think about going out after a win or over the summer. You ask yourself, 'Can I go out to a club without having to worry about my life being endangered or my parents getting the phone call (Newsome's) parents got?' I think about that when I'm out."

Edwards offered this suggestion for university officials: Create an on-campus establishment where only Marshall students can go to socialize, dance and, if they are old enough, drink. Make student IDs mandatory to keep out the "criminal element."

"That way, we would be in an atmosphere that is controlled," Edwards said. "All college students want to do is relieve stress and not have to worry about the people in Huntington who are involved in illegal activities. We want to learn, experience college, experience life, graduate and move on. We aren't looking for trouble.

"That would be great, and it would eliminate a lot of the problems. It would be good from the coaches' standpoint, too, because they wouldn't be worried about us getting into trouble."

Spann said he and some of his teammates have tried to avoid trouble by having parties at their houses or apartments. But even that doesn't ensure their safety.

"The word gets out," Spann said, "and you have people show up that you don't want there, but you don't want to start trouble. It's a no-win situation."