Former NFL player Cedric Killings has died at age 45 after dealing with pancreatic cancer, his family and former team announced.
Killings’ alma mater, Carson-Newman University in Jefferson City, Tenn.,shared in a statementthat the retired athlete had pancreatic cancer.
“Cedric was a fantastic person, player, father, husband, teammate and most importantly, a man of God,” Carson-Newman head football coach Mike Clowney, who played with Killings during the 1996 season, said. “We are praying for and grieve with Cedric’s family during this difficult time.”
The defensive tackle played eight seasons in the NFL, from 2000-2007, with stints on the San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, Carolina Panthers, Minnesota Vikings, Washington Redskins and Houston Texans.
His retirement came suddenly, after he fractured his vertebrae during a head-to-head hit during kickoff in a Texans game against the Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 23, 2007.
Over the course of his career, Killings made 36 tackles with three sacks across 34 games. He appeared in two playoff games for the Redskins in 2005.
Bob Levey/Getty
After retiring from the NFL, he served as an assistant football coach at Carol City High School in Miami Gardens, Fla. He also participated in a Miami Dolphins summer program which focused on player safety and teaching proper techniques, his alma mater said.
Killings leaves behind his wife, Shavon, and three children.On Facebook June 23, she posted an emotional tribute to her husband of more than 20 years.
“My love, my best friend, my husband of 21 years is no longer physically with me but he lives in my heart and in the hearts of our 3 children,” she wrote. “I’m comforted in knowing he is resting and no longer in pain, but I’m still at a loss and can’t believe this is real.”
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source: people.com
