Report: Ex-Pats QB Mallett drowns at 35
Former NFL quarterback Ryan Mallett, a third-round draft pick of the Patriots in 2011, has died in a drowning accident around Destin, Fla., the Arkansas-based website Deltaplex News reported Tuesday. He was 35. Mallett was transported from a beach to a hospital, and pronounced dead on arrival, sources told the outlet.
Mallett played one college season at Michigan before starring at Arkansas from 2008-10. He was subsequently selected in the 2011 NFL Draft by the Patriots. In a career that ended in 2017, Mallett appeared in 21 games, including eight starts, for the Patriots, Texans and Ravens.
“I am extremely saddened by Ryan’s tragic passing,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said in a statement released by the team “My thoughts and prayers are with his family and the many people whose lives he touched.”
Since February of last year, Mallett had been the head football coach at White Hall High School in Arkansas.
Last month, Mallett spoke to Whole Hog Sports about his maturation process in becoming a coach.
“I hope I’m a man now,” he said. “I’m 35. That’s halfway to 70. I did a lot of things as a kid. I know how to conduct my business now.
“My job is to help shape and mold young people. This is the time a lot of them are finding out about themselves. I hope I can help them.”
He said he was following in the footsteps of his family as a coach.
“Everyone in my family — my dad and his brothers — go by Coach,” he said. “Coach Mallett, that’s all I’ve ever heard. I was going to be a coach.
“I started going to practices as a toddler. My earliest memory of a practice was going to one of my dad’s practices and I climbed on the blocking rack and got my head stuck. I was hanging from my head and they had to pull me out.”
He also spoke about his football mentors.
“I learned offense from Coach [Bobby] Petrino,” Mallett told the outlet. “I learned defense from Coach Belichick. I had good leadership at Mountain Home the last few years. I learned about the importance of community and how to talk to parents. I learned to explain their child’s talents.
“You have to explain they might not be a DI athlete. They all believe they are.”