Former NFL Quarterback Ryan Mallett Dead At 35 After Accidental Drowning: Tom Brady & More React

The sports world is mourning a sad loss. Former NFL player and star college football quarterback Ryan Mallett has died at just 35 years old. The athlete drowned off the coast of Destin, Fla., the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Department confirmed on Tuesday. Authorities say that Mallett was among a group of individuals apparently struggling in the water before he went under the surface. Lifeguards pulled Mallet to shore but he wasn’t breathing and lifesaving measures were sadly unsuccessful, the report added. Mallett’s former New England Patriots teammate Tom Brady and J.J. Watts were among those who shared sorrow and condolences for his loss, with Brady calling Mallett a “great man.” Days before the athlete’s tragic passing, Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford expressed frustration with beachgoers ignoring warnings about deadly water conditions amid a string of recent drowning deaths in the Florida panhandle.