Former Super Bowl champion commits suicide at 38: "Dealt with brain damage"
Former NFL player Jordan Devey, who won a championship with the New England Patriots, has passed away at the age of 38. His family confirmed that he died by suicide. His wife, Linsey, shared that the tragedy occurred just days before their 15th wedding anniversary.
Former NFL player Jordan Devey, who won a championship as an offensive lineman, passed away at the age of 38 after taking his own life. On Saturday, the family of Devey, who secured the title with the New England Patriots, confirmed that he died by suicide.
"It is with great sadness that Jordan has taken his own life, leaving his family to cope with a difficult and heartbreaking time," the family wrote in an official statement on the fundraising page opened in his memory.
His wife, Linsey, shared on social media that the tragic event occurred just days before they were supposed to celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary.
The player's mother, Leslie, said in an interview that the family believes Jordan suffered from CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy), a degenerative brain disease common among football players due to repeated concussions. However, due to the circumstances of his death, it will not be possible to perform the medical tests required to diagnose the disease, which is characterized by impaired brain function, memory loss, and depression.
Devey played for seven seasons in the NFL and appeared in 44 games (starting 21 of them) for five different teams. In the 2014 season, he was part of the New England Patriots roster that won the championship, and the following year he recorded 15 appearances for San Francisco. He retired from active play in 2021 after appearing for the Buffalo Bills. Jordan Devey is survived by his parents, wife, and four children.
Devey's path to the best football league in the world was unusual by any measure. Due to a chronic knee condition in his childhood, he was forced to quit football in middle school, and in high school, he demonstrated his talents as a tuba player in the school band. Only after completing a two-year mission for the Mormon Church and recovering from the pain did he return to the field at small colleges. Although he was not selected in the 2013 draft, he paved his way from the Patriots' practice squad to a Super Bowl championship ring.
Following the tragedy, a fundraising campaign was launched on GoFundMe to assist his wife Linsey and their four young children, which has so far raised tens of thousands of dollars.
