A former NFL cornerback named Vontae Davis, 35, was found dead in his home in South Florida on Apr. 1. He played for three major teams over the course of his professional career: the Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, and the Indianapolis Colts. He’s especially notable for retiring mid-game when the Bills played the Los Angeles Chargers in 2018. Read on to find out more about how he died, and his cause of death.
Davis was picked in the first round of the draft by the Miami Dolphins in 2009. He was there for three seasons before he joined the Colts in 2012. After staying with that team for half a dozen years, he moved on to the Buffalo Bills, where he famously retired during halftime.
He was playing his first game in a Bills uniform and he said an “uneasy feeling” came over him. He told the coaches and his fellow players that he was done. He retired at halftime and left the stadium while the game continued. He released a statement explaining his decision:
“This isn’t how I pictured retiring from the NFL, but in my 10th NFL season, I have been doing what my body has been programmed to do: Get ready to play on game day. I’ve endured multiple surgeries and played through many different injuries throughout my career and, over the last few weeks, this was the latest physical challenge.”
“I think it’s more powerful how I ended,” Davis told the Washington Post at the time. “We all got stories to tell.” His wife Megan gave a little more insight into the thought process. She watched his body break down and take longer and longer to recover. “You don’t have to play anymore. You’ve done enough for our family.”
“The whole time he was in Buffalo, his body and his mind I don’t think were on the same wavelength,” Megan said. “One was a lot older than the other.”
He was seemingly in a good place the last few years. He wrote a children’s book called Middle School Rules, and he would go around to schools and talk to kids about drugs and making something of themselves.
“My mother was addicted to drugs, crack. Do you know what crack is? You know what crack does to you?” Davis asked a room of children when he was on his book tour. “But one thing I learned from the situation is, your circumstances don’t make you. You make your circumstance. So for the ones who are going through stuff in life and come in here, still have to play, still have to focus, I did those things. So I know what you’re going through.”
He ended his talk by saying that he wasn’t just a football player, he was someone who wanted to share knowledge and help. When a child asked him if he saw the NFL as “modern day slavery,” he gave a disquieting but even-keeled response:
” … The game did not use me up. My talent and my ability, I was blessed with that. I thank God for that ability. I was able to play in the NFL. The NFL blessed me to do other things in life. But like I said, it’s a business. … It’s a business that uses 70 percent African Americans. Use them up, devalue them and get rid of them. And it’s modern day. That’s all I’ll say.”
Davis had a fairly difficult upbringing, which he describes in the book. He was the son of an abusive father and addict mother. He ended up in foster care until his grandmother adopted him along with his six siblings. He made a name for himself in school in both football and track, and he ended up going to the University of Illinois to play for the Illini from ’06 to ’08.
He was a Freshman All-American and during his sophomore year he had 56 tackles and was third in the Big Ten with interceptions. He declared for the draft and left college his junior year and was chosen #25 by the Dolphins.
He ended his career with some impressive stats. He was a two-time pro bowler who had 22 interceptions, 395 combined tackles and 97 passes through 121 games in the NFL. His most productive season was in 2014 with the Colts.
Despite his charity and philanthropy in his later life, there were some hiccups. In early February, he was arrested on DUI charges after he allegedly rear-ended a pick-up truck in his Tesla. The truck was pulled over on the interstate in South Florida with a flat tire, and after the accident Florida Highway Patrol found Davis asleep on the side of the road.
He admitted he had “two mixed drinks and was coming from the club.” He was charged with a a first-offense misdemeanor count of DUI alcohol or drugs. On the day he died, Davie Police in Florida responded to Davis’ residence after officers were called by the “house assistant.”
“We can confirm that the deceased individual is Vontae Davis age 35. Preliminary information suggests that foul play is not involved.” Police did not mention a cause of death, so it’ll probably come out after the autopsy is performed.
Davis’ sudden passing came as a shock to many, and tributes poured in from all over. The Miami Dolphins organization said it was “heartbroken” by his sudden passing and that it extends “our deepest condolences to his family & loved ones during this difficult time.”
The Buffalo Bills organization shared similar sentiments, saying it was “saddened” to hear the unfortunate news and that it is “thinking of his friends, family, and loved ones during this difficult time.”
The Colts said they were “devastated to hear of Vontae Davis’s passing. He will be deeply missed, and we send our prayers to his family and loved ones.” They also said he “carried a smile and positive energy every day.”
The NFL said it was “heartbroken to hear about the passing of Vontae Davis,” and that “our thoughts are with his family and loved ones.”
