South Georgia Tormenta FC has coordinated with the University of Michigan on a special tribute to the late Carter Payne, who played for the Michigan Wolverines men’s soccer team in the Big 10 Conference and later, briefly, for preprofessional Tormenta FC 2.

Payne, from Phoenix, Arizona, died at age 20 on July 9 as the result of a hit-and-run accident on Statesboro’s Fair Road, a part of Georgia Highway 67. He was riding a Lime electric scooter when struck by a motor vehicle whose driver did not stop and who has not come forward or been identified by investigators.

In Tormenta’s latest planned remembrance of Payne, the soccer club has worked with a local sponsor, Optim Orthopedics, to create some special jerseys. 

“It’s got Tormenta layout with some University of Michigan colors, and both of our marks, the University of Michigan’s and Tormenta’s,” said Tormenta FC President Darin Van Tassell. “Optim Orthopedics really took the lead on this. They’re our jersey sponsor for the club, and the idea is we’re all going to wear jerseys with Carter Payne’s last name on the back and we’ll all have the number 2 on our sleeves and wear that in his honor.”

That is, not the Tormenta FC 2 team – whose season lasts from May through July – but the Tormenta FC professional team in USL League One is expected to take the field for an upcoming game in these new jerseys in Wolverines maize and blue. Tormenta coaches and staff members will be wearing them  too, Van  Tassell said.

Payne’s jersey number was 2 with Tormenta FC 2 and also at Michigan. An early mockup showed “2” on the back of each jersey, but the tribute number was moved to the sleeve to avoid confusing announcers and officials.

“And then our idea is to take those jerseys and to auction them to raise money for the Carter Payne Fund with the Ibis Foundation, which is the nonprofit group here locally that’s connected with Tormenta to raise scholarship money that can assist future players who can get into academies and those kinds of things,” Van Tassell said.

Whether the jerseys will arrive in time for Tormenta’s final regular season game, this Saturday against the Chattanooga Red Wolves, remains to be seen. Game time is 7:30 p.m. at Tormenta’s new field. If the jerseys are not available then, they will debut during a playoff game or next season.

Both Tormenta FC 2 and the Tormenta women’s team have previously held tributes for Payne.

“You know, there’s not a time that we stop thinking about Carter,” Van Tassell said. “Even when the women won their national title at the end of the summer, they took Carter’s jersey and he’s part of the photo where they held up the national championship trophy on ESPN.”

Payne spent two seasons as a Michigan defender, including one during which play was limited by the COVID-19 pandemic, before taking time off and attempting to go professional. He was with Tormenta FC 2 only last season and planned to return to play for Michigan again.