Arizona Cardinals cornerback Jeff Gladney has died at the age of 25 in a car crash, his agent has confirmed.
“We are asking prayers for the family and privacy at this most difficult time,” his agent, Brian Overstreet, said in a statement to the Fort-Worth Star-Telegram.
The crash occurred in the early hours of Monday morning, and a 26-year-old female passenger in the vehicle is also believed to have died. The Dallas County Sheriff’s Department said a vehicle had been speeding on the Woodall Rodgers Freeway when it clipped a vehicle in front of it and lost control before hitting a beam around 2.30am on Monday. The people in the other vehicle were unharmed.
“We are devastated to learn of Jeff Gladney’s passing,” the Cardinals said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to his family, friends and all who are mourning this tremendous loss.”
Gladney was a star at TCU before being picked by the Minnesota Vikings in the first-round of the 2020 NFL draft. He played in every game of his rookie season.
Lost my Brother, my best friend, my right hand man… ain’t too much more I can take man damn!
— Reag (@jalenreagor) May 30, 2022
R.I.P Jeff Gladney, brother watch over me please.
“Our TCU Athletics family, and especially our football program, was very devastated to learn of the passing of Jeff Gladney,” said TCU athletic director Jeremiah Donati. “After earning his degree and continuing his playing career in the NFL, Jeff maintained his close ties to TCU. He loved everything about his alma mater. He was a frequent visitor to campus and was at our spring practices and spring game this year, proudly joined by his young son.”
His former TCU teammate Jalen Reagor, now a receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles, expressed his grief on Twitter. “Lost my Brother, my best friend, my right hand man... ain’t too much more I can take man damn! R.I.P Jeff Gladney, brother watch over me please,” wrote Reagor.
The Vikings released Gladney in April 2021 after he was indicted over allegations he had assaulted his girlfriend. He was found not guilty on those charges in March 2022 and the Cardinals signed him shortly afterwards.
Gladney is the second young NFL player to die in a traffic incident this year. In April, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins was struck and killed by a truck after his car ran out of gas and he exited the vehicle on a freeway.
