Present NFL, Buffalo Bills player found dead In The Game…
Buffalo Bills defensive back Vontae Davis (22) tackles Los Angeles Chargers running back Melvin Gordon (28) during the first half of an NFL game on Sunday, Sept. 16, 2018, in Orchard Park, N.Y. (AP Photo/Rich Barnes)AP
Former NFL cornerback Vontae Davis has been found dead at 35, according to multiple reports.
WSVN reports a male body was found Monday morning at a home owned by Davis’ grandmother in Southwest Ranches, Florida, about 30 miles outside of Miami. A source told the Miami TV station that the body has been identified as Davis.
According to TMZ, police say no foul play was involved. An investigation is ongoing.
Davis, the younger brother of Super Bowl champion Vernon Davis, was a standout football player at the University of Illinois and selected 25th overall in the 2009 NFL Draft. Vontae Davis spent 10 seasons in the league with the Miami Dolphins, Indianapolis Colts and Buffalo Bills.
Davis memorably quit at halftime of the Bills’ second regular-season game in 2018, and officially retired afterwards. It became one of the most talked about moments of the season and has been compared to other instances, like Antonio Brown’s abrupt exit in 2022.
“This isn’t how I pictured retiring from the NFL,” Davis said in 2018. “But in my 10th NFL season, I have been doing what my body has been programmed to do: Get ready to play on game day. … Today on the field reality hit me fast and hard: I shouldn’t be out there anymore… Mentally, I always expect myself to play at a high level. But physically, I know today that that isn’t possible.”
Davis finished his career with two Pro Bowl selections, 396 tackles, 22 interceptions and two sacks.
This is a 2018 photo of Vontae Davis of the Buffalo Bills NFL football team. This image reflects the Buffalo Bills active roster as of Tuesday, May 1, 2018 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)AP
“We lost a great today!!!” tweeted Chester Frazier, an assistant basketball coach at Illinois. “RIP TO @vontaedavis man nothing but good memories of that dude in school!!
“Extremely saddened to hear of the passing of Vontae Davis. A great guy, teammate, player. My prayers to Vontae’s family,” Colts owner Jim Irsay wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
“Life will never be the same without my brother,” Davis’ childhood friend, Bobby Maze, added on Facebook. “Them FaceTime calls etc damn I wish we could have one more convo. You beat the odds, you made it. You did it your way. It just wasn’t supposed to end like this.”
Ex-Bills RB Sends 4-Word Message on Freak Accident That Ended His Season
After having his 2023 season cut short due to a freak jet ski accident, running back Nyheim Hines is sending a simple message — “I’ve learned my lesson.”
The former Buffalo Bills running back suffered a torn ACL in July 2023 when the jet ski he was driving was struck by another driver. Hines was lost for the season and became embroiled in a dispute with the team over pay he was owed for the season. The Bills later parted ways with Hines, who went on to sign a one-year contract with the Cleveland Browns.
Nyheim Hines Blames Himself
Hines told The Athletic’s Zak Keefer in November 2023 that he had not been driving the jet ski at all during the day of the accident, but wanted to refill it with gas at the marina before returning it to friends. Hines said he was stationary on the jet ski when it was struck by another driver, leaving him with a badly injured leg.
In his April 1 appearance, Hines took responsibility for putting himself in a situation where he was at risk of getting injured and said he won’t do that in the future.
“I could do better not putting myself in that situation,” Hines said. “It was a freak accident, but I’ve learned my lessons from that mistake. I won’t put myself in the situation to even miss the season off the field.
“Based off that, I could say whatever I want to about the Bills, but really it’s on me. I shouldn’t have put myself in that situation.”
Though Hines’ agent appeared to take aim at the Bills after the incident amid a reported dispute over what money he was owed, Hines later told The Athletic that the two sides were able to reach an amicable solution.
“We were both upset, both parties were upset,” Hines said in November. “I didn’t expect for that to happen. They didn’t expect for this to happen. We both had big plans for myself. And they know I hold myself accountable, and they knew that this is gonna kill me more than it kills them.”
Speedy Back Ready to Return
Hines said in Monday’s appearance that his rehab is coming along well and that he feels better than even just a month ago, when it was still difficult to run at full speed.
“I don’t wish an ACL surgery on anybody,” Hines said. “It’s tough the first two or three months, but you start seeing the light at the end of the tunnel in Month 4, 5, 6, 7.”
Though Hines had a big impact on the Bills after joining at the 2022 trade deadline — returning two kickoffs for touchdowns in a season finale win over the New England Patriots — the team released him on March 6 as part of a flurry of roster moves that generated more than $30 million in cap space in total. He now has the chance to provide some veteran depth in Cleveland behind Nick Chubb and Jerome Ford.