Ryan Mallett, former Arkansas Razorbacks star and long-time NFL backup QB, died at the age of 35 on June 27. Mallett played in the NFL between 2011 and 2017. However, at the time of his death he was coaching high school in Arkansas. He was beloved by the University of Arkansas, where he played for two seasons after transferring from Michigan. He is second all-time in terms of passing yards and touchdowns for the Razorbacks.
Leading the tributes for the quarterback was Tom Brady, who Mallett backed up for two years. Taking to his Instagram story, Brady shared a picture of him with Mallett. “We lost a great man. Thank you for everything Ryan,” Brady wrote. “Praying for the Mallet family and all their loved ones tonight,” he continued. However, new information about Mallett's death has been revealed. It appears that previous reporting and speculation linking his death to riptides was inaccurate.
Police Deny Mallett Drowned In Riptide
“Investigators are continuing to gather information in the drowning of an Arkansas tourist Tuesday afternoon,” the department wrote on Facebook. "It just seems to be just a tragic accident and not something to do with the conditions of the surf or tides or currents. It's always difficult when we lose a tourist or resident here, but we have no indication here of any dangerous conditions out there," Sheriff Eric Aden added in an additional statement to CBS News.
According to the new information, Mallett was part of a group of swimmers off the coast of Destin. A popular beach town, Destin is about 45 miles down the coast from Pensacola. The group Mallett was with reportedly "struggled to make their way back to shore." Furthermore, during the journey back, Mallett fell underwater while attempting to reach a sandbar. He was reportedly unresponsive when the group made it back to the beach. “Investigators say Mallett began struggling while attempting to swim to a second sandbar about 150 feet offshore of the beach near Gulf Shores Drive in Destin around 2:15 p.m. Despite widespread media misinformation, yellow beach safety flags were flying at the time and there were no indications of any ‘riptides,'" the department added.
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