Pat McAfee held back tears as he opened up on the death of his former teammate and friend Vontae Davis live on his ESPN show on Monday.
Davis was found dead at his grandmother’s house on Monday, with the McAfee crew revealing that they heard the news before they went on air, but opted against breaking it to the nation.
After Davis’ death, at the young age of 35, emerged online, McAfee took five minutes out to speak about his former Indianapolis Colts teammate.
With his voice breaking, McAfee said: ‘It’s been an interesting vibe all show because we learned this morning that a former teammate of ours, Vontae Davis, was found unresponsive in his house.
‘Vontae was an incredibly cool dude, good guy, nice guy, upbeat guy, energetic guy.’
Pat McAfee spoke to his ESPN audience just minutes after Vontae Davis’ death was announced
At the end of McAfee’s monologue, the screen cut to black to pay tribute to his ex-teammate
After speaking for a few minutes on Davis’ character, McAfee urged his TV audience to ‘reach out to your people and tell them they’re not alone.’
Davis’ cause of death has not yet been revealed, but the initial police report confirmed that no foul play was involved.
A police statement said: ‘This morning, Davie Police Officers responded to 6051 SW 178th Avenue in reference to a medical call. Officers were called to the residence by the house assistant, who found the homeowner deceased.
‘We can confirm that the deceased individual is Vontae Davis age 35. Preliminary information suggests that foul play is not involved. The investigation remains active.’
His death comes a year after Davis was found curled up asleep on the side of a highway after crashing his Tesla in South Florida.
Davis is the younger brother of Super Bowl winner Vernon. His childhood friend Bobby Maze confirmed the passing in an emotional Facebook statement.
‘To my childhood friend and to my brother Vontae Davis rest in peace,’ Maze wrote. ‘No words can explain how I feel right now.
‘You was one of a kind and so full of life. Life will never be the same without my brother. Them FaceTime calls etc damn I wish we could have one more convo. You beat the odds, you made it, you did it your way, it just wasn’t supposed to end like this.’
Davis’ former college football coach, Chester Frazier, also paid tribute on X.
‘We lost a great today!!!’ Frazier said. ‘RIP TO @vontaedavis man nothing but good memories of that dude in school!!’
Davis was the 25th pick in the 2009 NFL Draft and played until 2018, when he abruptly retired in the middle of a Bills game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
In November last year, Davis cut a plea deal with prosecutors in Broward County, Florida after driving his vehicle under the influence. According to court documents, Davis and his lawyers agreed to plead no contest to reckless driving and was sentenced to 12 months probation.
