Former New Orleans Saints linebacker Ronald Powell passed away at the age of 32.
The NFL Players Association announced his death on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
According to Sports Illustrated, a Saints teammate of Powell’s, Junior Galette, confirmed the former player’s death. Although a cause of death wasn’t specified, Galette stated that his friend passed away on Jan. 15. He played with Powell when both were on the New Orleans Saints in 2014. He also posted his condolences and acknowledged Powell’s death on social media.
The former linebacker grew up in Moreno Valley, CA and attended Rancho Verde High when he was a five-star recruit and the consensus No. 1 prospect in 2010. He decided to go play with the University of Florida
Gators after he left high school. In his first two seasons, he had 57 total tackles along with seven sacks, and 9.5 tackles for loss. He played for the Gators from 2010-2013. An injury to his left ACL, where he had multiple tears, limited his participation in future games. Although he only appeared in one game and was redshirted as a junior, he entered the 2014 NFL Draft and was selected by the Saints in the fifth round.He played in 14 games in his rookie season with New Orleans, but injuries kept him from playing in the league, although he was able to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chicago Bears, and Seattle Seahawks. He left the NFL in 2017 and tried his hand in the defunct AAF (Alliance of American Football) with the Orlando Apollos in 2019. After signing with the league, he was placed on the waived/injured list before the season started, and he did not get to play in a game.
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