The grandfather of Iowa star linebacker Jack Campbell tragically died in a car crash in Nashville on Friday after traveling to Tennessee to see his grandson play in what will likely be his final college football game. 

William Smith Jr., 76, was pronounced dead at Vanderbilt University Medical Center after being involved in a single vehicle-pedestrian incident late Friday evening, the university said in a statement on Saturday.

"Our hearts are with Jack and his entire family as they grieve the tragic death of their grandfather and father, William Smith, Jr.," coach Kirk Ferentz said in a statement provided by the school. 

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"We know Mr. Smith was a strong influence on his grandson and a faithful Hawkeye football supporter. All of us – players, coaches and staff members – will keep the Campbell family in our thoughts and prayers during this profoundly difficult time."

According to The Tennessean, Smith was hit by a van after stepping into the road just after 10 p.m. Police told the outlet that Smith did not hear a family member’s warning not to step into the road. 

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Campbell had a dominant performance in Saturday’s shutout of Kentucky in the Music City Bowl, leading the Hawkeyes with 10 tackles. He also registered a sack and two tackles for loss.

According to the university, his parents did not tell him about his grandfather’s passing so he could "have one last time to play with his Iowa Hawkeye teammates."

"Jack’s parents told him about his grandfather’s passing after the Music City Bowl game ended," the news releases read. "His parents made the decision to wait to share this devastating news so that Jack would have one last time to play with his Iowa Hawkeye teammates."

A game between the Boston Celtics and the Denver Nuggets was delayed about 35 minutes because one of the rims was bent during a dunk.

The incident occurred with 8:06 left in the fourth quarter after center Robert Williams III threw down a thunderous dunk and left the rim leaning a bit. About 2 minutes later, NBA officials gathered crew members at the Ball Arena to level out the rim.

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What appeared to be an easy fix was not as more personnel showed up to lend helping hands.

"There's a joke in there. How many guys does it take to fix a rim in an NBA game?" Nuggets coach Michael Malone said, adding that the whole situation was a "buzzkill."

Celtics star Jaylen Brown was unhappy with the situation after the game. Brown is a vice president of the National Basketball Players Association. He said there was "no communication" over what was happening on the court as the rim was being worked on.

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"That’s how injuries and stuff happen," Brown said. "That whole process was handled poorly, in my opinion, and that had an effect as well. But luckily nobody got hurt."

Brown led the Celtics with 30 points and eight rebounds, but Boston would come up short.

Denver won the game 123-111. Nikola Jokic had 30 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists in the win.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.