(LibertySociety.com) – The NFL community and fans are mourning the death of former New Orleans Saints linebacker Ronald Powell. The organization’s Players Association made the announcement on X, formerly Twitter. The post contained a photo of the 32-year-old, writing that he was “a father, a brother, and a son who was loved and cherished by so many.” Powell’s cause of death has not been revealed. Like many other professional players, his career was short-lived due to injuries.
Powell was recruited by the University of Florida while attending Rancho Verde High School in Moreno Valley, California. He played three seasons for the Gators, suffering a torn ACL in 2012 before he was drafted in 2014 by the New Orleans Saints. He played in 14 games for the team but suffered a knee injury in 2015. After that, he played on practice squads for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Chicago Bears, and the Seattle Seahawks before he was released in 2017. Powell went on to join the now-defunct Alliance of American Football (AAF), playing for the Orlando Apollos in 2019. The league filed for bankruptcy that year, leaving its final season incomplete.
The Florida Gators also honored Powell in a post on X, offering prayers to his family and a photo of Powell when he played for the team. A former Saints teammate, Junior Galette, offered his condolences on X, writing, “I Love You Forever till we meet again,” adding that he was sad to have to tell the world that he had died. He left behind a son and a daughter, who he occasionally posted photos of on his Instagram account. The last post he made was in April 2023 on his daughter’s birthday. He wrote about things he taught his children, including loving themselves and appreciating relationships. Other posts on his account include many professional photos of himself while on the football field. He appeared to be in good health and physically fit.
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