After earning MVP honors in the 2018 Hawaii Bowl, the Louisiana native was selected by the Ravens in the 2019 NFL Draft as the 85th overall pick, spending three seasons in Baltimore and ingratiating himself with the city. The Ravens organization issued the following statement after Ferguson's death:
We are profoundly saddened by the tragic passing of Jaylon Ferguson. He was a kind, respectful young man with a big smile and infectious personality. We express our heartfelt condolences to Jaylons family and friends as we mourn a life lost much too soon.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh and offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley also shared their thoughts after Fergusons passing via The Baltimore Sun .
Jaylon was a good hearted, gentle person who loved his family and his team, Harbaugh said. He was a joy to talk with and be around every day. You always wanted to see and talk to Ferg. Our prayers and our help go to his family.
Going against him in practice, he would always tell me when I was doing a good job, even when it meant it was against himself, Stanley said. He was so excited every time he had a new kid who was about to be born. He always talked about them.
Riiiiight. Suicide. Gotcha .
What do you call death from two different addictive drugs, Kid?
Homicide?
He died of self-inflicted substance abuse, in all likelihood.
Questions remain:
a) How long had he been using?
b) Was he using during the season?
c) If yes, who else knew on the team?
d) From whom was he getting his drugs?
If a team med staffer or coaching staffer knew he had a problem, there is league vulnerability. If they did not, why not?
e) Are there other users on his team or among his circle of friends?
f) Are there steps teams could take to prevent this sort of thing from happening again?
You say "Riiiiight. Suicide. Gotcha ." like the judge you pretend not to be, but the story of how wonderful and great a person was are pretty common for people who kill themselves despite their lives looking successful to those around them. It's not a rarity.
He had
some kind of issue that pushed him to drugs to start with. We just don't know what his demons were.
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