Former NFL quarterback Ryan Mallett died Tuesday in an apparent drowning off a Florida Panhandle beach, the local sheriff’s office said.
Mallett, who played for the New England Patriots, Houston Texans, and Baltimore Ravens, was on holiday with his girlfriend in Florida.
Local first responders were called to Destin beach at around 2:12 p.m. to rescue a number of people struggling to make it to shore.
“A tourist died in an apparent drowning offshore of Gulf Shore Drive in Destin,” the Okaloosa Sheriff’s office posted on Twitter. “He was not breathing when lifeguards found and pulled him out. Tragically lifesaving measures weren’t successful.”
A later Twitter post read: “The man is from out of state. We do not have official confirmation of next of kin notification.” An hour later, the drowning victim was confirmed as 35-year-old Ryan Mallett.
“The New England Patriots are deeply saddened to learn of the sudden and unexpected passing of former quarterback Ryan Mallett,” his former team wrote on Twitter. “Our thoughts are with the Mallett family, his former teammates and all who are mourning his loss.”
New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick also extended his condolences. “I am extremely saddened by Ryan’s passing. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and the many people whose lives he touched.”
NFL star Tom Brady also took to social media to mourn his former teammate, saying: “We lost a great man. Thank you for everything Ryan.”
Dangerous Currents
Over the past month, rip currents have claimed a dozen lives along the Gulf coast between Fort Morgan, Alabama, and Panama City Beach, according to data from the National Weather Service.
Rip currents are strong, localized, and narrow currents of water that move directly away from the shore. They typically occur near offshore sand bars or reefs. Though rip currents don’t necessarily pull people under water, they may exhaust bathers who try to swim against them.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. lifeguards rescue tens of thousands of people from rip currents every year. However, rip currents still claim an estimated 100 victims each year in the United States.
“Don’t swim against the current,” the U.S. Lifesaving Association rip current safety brochure advises (pdf). “You may be able to escape by swimming out of the current in a direction following the shoreline,” the brochure reads.
Mallett, who was born in Arkansas, grew up in Texarkana, Texas, where he excelled as a high school quarterback, winning the Gatorade Player of the Year award in 2006 and the Glenn Davis Army Award the following year.
After high school, Mallett joined the Michigan Wolverines before enrolling at the University of Arkansas a year later. There he starred as the Arkansas Razorbacks’ quarterback, collecting no less than sixteen school records, including the most passing touchdowns in a single game and the most passing touchdowns in a single season.
Mallett was drafted in the third round of the 2011 NFL draft by the New England Patriots, where he played for three seasons, followed by two seasons with the Houston Texans (2014-15) and another two with the Baltimore Ravens.
After his professional career ended in 2017, Mallett taught Health and P.E. at White Hall high school in White Hall, Arkansas, where he also coached the school’s football team, the Bulldogs.