Former NFL offensive guard Jordan Devey, who was part of the New England Patriots squad that won Super Bowl XLIX, has died aged 38.
Devey’s wife, Linsey, announced his death in a social media post on Friday, which would have marked the couple’s 15th wedding anniversary. She also shared a link to a GoFundMe page, which stated that he had died by suicide. Paying tribute to her husband, Linsey reflected on the family they built together and their four children.
“They have your eyes, freckles, and compassion,” she wrote. “You were our hero and our hearts ache in your absence. We love you. We miss you. And as you said in your last words to me, ‘we’ll talk soon.'” The GoFundMe page described Devey as someone devoted to helping others, highlighting his work coaching his children’s sports teams and volunteering with athletes at their local high school.
It said he was “deeply loved by the players who saw him as a mentor, role model, and friend” and praised his “dedication to serving others”. Devey spent seven seasons in the NFL, appearing in 44 regular-season games across spells with the New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders and Buffalo Bills.
Although he was a member of the Patriots’ Super Bowl-winning team in the 2014 season, he did not play in the championship game. He retired from professional football in 2021 after making one appearance for the Bills the previous year.
Following his death, Devey’s parents called for greater awareness of mental health and told Fox 13 they believe he may have been living with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease associated with repeated head impacts.
