Vontae Davis and Megan Harpe (Photo by Jason Koerner/Getty Images)
On Monday, police responded to the 6000 block of Southwest 178th Avenue in Southwest Ranches and found former NFL cornerback Vontae Davis unresponsive in the gym area and deceased. The residence is owned by Adaline Davis, the grandmother of the former Miami Dolphins cornerback.
Investigators say they don’t suspect foul play.
We are now finding out more information about Vontae Davis and it is just as heartbreaking and shocking as his actual death.
The ex-wife of late NFL cornerback Vontae Davis, Megan Harpe, suggested in a text message to the Daily Mail that Davis may have had Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, better known as CTE. Like many players in the league, the former star cornerback suffered multiple concussions in his career, and taking multiple violent hits to the head can lead to progressive degenerative disease. Davis even admitted he was worried about suffering from the implications later in life.
“Yes he had CTE … there is definitely a story here,” Harpe wrote. She declined to provide any other additional information. CTE cannot be diagnosed in any living person as of right now, so a check of his brain should prove whether what she is saying is true.
Davis’s brother, Vernon, who also played in the NFL, was “lost for words” when hearing the news about his younger sibling. “‘I’m leaning on the detectives to figure it out but right now we have no answers. They are going to run tests and they said they’ll get back to us,” he said.
“It could be as long as a month, a month and a half until we know anything.” Vernon didn’t give a clear answer when being asked if he thought Vontae may have CTE. “Maybe that’s the case, maybe it’s not. We don’t really have an answer to that because there is no way to see into our brain while we live,” he said, via USAToday.com.
The actual reason for his death is still unknown as Davis is still pending a medical examiner’s autopsy.
Vontae Davis Retired From The NFL During Halftime Of A Game
Vontae Davis (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Vontae Davis did a lot of things during his time in the league and that includes how he left the game.
Davis is perhaps best known for announcing his retirement in 2018 in the middle of a game between his team at the time, the Buffalo Bills, and the Los Angeles Chargers.
Davis totaled 22 interceptions, 97 passes defended, and three forced fumbles in 121 regular-season games across his 10 NFL seasons.