Another tragedy has struck the world of professional sports.
Another young person has died too soon. Jaylon Ferguson had his whole life ahead of him, but he has sadly passed away at the age of 26.
Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker Jaylon Ferguson died at the age of 26, the team announced Wednesday.
“We are profoundly saddened by the tragic passing of Jaylon Ferguson,” the team said in a statement. “He was a kind, respectful young man with a big smile and infectious personality. We express our heartfelt condolences to Jaylon’s family and friends as we mourn a life lost much too soon.”
Ferguson, a third-round pick by the Ravens in 2019, had participated in all of the team’s offseason practices this year. In three seasons, Ferguson totaled 67 tackles and 4.5 sacks.
Known as “Sack Daddy” coming out of Louisiana Tech, he holds the FBS record for career sacks with 45.
Here is more about Jaylon Ferguson’s career at Louisiana Tech.
Ferguson attended West Feliciana High School in St. Francisville, Louisiana, where he played football and basketball for four years.
Ferguson redshirted his first year at Louisiana Tech in 2014. In 2015, he played in 12 games with five starts and recorded 35 tackles and six sacks. As a sophomore in 2016, he set the school record for sacks in a season with 14.5. As a junior in 2017, Ferguson had 38 tackles and seven sacks. He returned to Louisiana Tech for his senior year in 2018. During the season he broke the school record for career sacks. Ferguson became the NCAA FBS career sack leader during the 2018 Hawaii Bowl, and was also named winning-team MVP of that game.
Ferguson had a son and a daughter. He died in Baltimore on June 22, 2022.
Thoughts and prayers go out to Ferguson’s family and friends. They are going to need all the support they can get during this tough time.
No cause of death was officially given but cops do not believe foul play was involved. Here is what the cops believe happened via the Baltimore Banner.
A source says it is a suspected overdose based on items found at the scene.
A police spokeswoman called the death “questionable,” but said there were no signs of foul play or trauma to his body. Additional information was not immediately available and the death investigation has been referred to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
“I can say that we are not ruling anything out,” Baltimore police spokesperson Lindsey Eldridge. “We don’t determine cause of death, but we consider the possibility that it could be an overdose.”
Police were called around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday to the 400 block of Ilchester Avenue in North Baltimore where they found Ferguson.
A friend who found Ferguson unresponsive told police at the scene that Ferguson had told him earlier in the night that he was “xanied up,” referring to the prescription drug Xanax, according to a law enforcement source who asked not to be identified because autopsy results have not been released.
Ferguson had been going through a difficult time after the recent death of his grandmother and a fire at his home in Owings Mills and was suffering from depression, the friend said, according to the source.
Flip the pages for the tributes that have pour in from the NFL community.