Jordan Devey, a retired NFL offensive lineman who won a Super Bowl with the New England Patriots, died at age 38.
According to a GoFundMe page started to benefit his wife, Linsey, and their four young children, Devey “took his own life.” As of Saturday morning, the fund had collected more than $92,000 of its $200,000 goal.
Devey was the rare NFL player who didn’t play high school football, giving up the sport after junior high. Afflicted by a disease that causes knee inflammation and pain in children and teens, Devey played tuba in the school band.
After a two-year mission with the Church of Latter Day Saints, he enrolled in Snow College in Ephraim, Utah, and played two years of football since his knee issue had lessened. He transferred to Memphis for his final two seasons, then signed with the Baltimore Ravens after being unselected in the 2013 NFL Draft.
The Patriots signed the 6-foot-7 Devey to their practice squad that September and promoted him to the active roster in 2014 — the same season New England defeated the Seattle Seahawks to win Super Bowl XLIX.
He played with the San Francisco 49ers in 2015, appearing in a career-high 15 games (nine starts), then followed with stops with the Kansas City Chiefs, then-Oakland Raiders and Buffalo Bills through the 2020 season. In all, he played in 44 NFL games (21 starts).
Following his career, he volunteered as a coach of his kids’ teams and coached high school football coach in Idaho.
In an interview with Fox 13 in Salt Lake City, Leslie Devey said she believed the brain injury CTE contributed to her son’s death on Tuesday.
