Stephen Dunn /Allsport
Former NFL wide receiver Vincent Jackson was found dead inside a Homewood Suites hotel room in Brandon, Florida on Monday morning.
The 38-year-old reportedly checked into the hotel on January 11 and had been staying in a room until his passing. Jackson’s family reported him missing on February 10, a formal report was filed on February 11, but the missing case was canceled the following day after the Hillsborough County Sherriff’s Office located and spoke with Jackson.
He was found dead on Monday with “no apparent signs of trauma” by the hotel’s cleaning crew.
The news of Jackson’s passing is both tragic and shocking and while many took to social media to honor the former wide out, Ryan Leaf posted a video calling out the NFL while trying to understand the loss. Leaf, the second-overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft, said the league simply does not care about its players in the emotional video.
“I don’t know what the f-ck to do anymore,” Leaf said. “My NFL brothers continue to die and nobody is doing a god d–n thing about it. I talked to another brother who spent the weekend in a psyche ward today. The NFL just doesn’t f-cking care. They’ll write condolence letters and sh-t like that, but if they were actually invested, they’d actually put some money behind the legends community and into the mental health, substance abuse side of it. Once you’re bad for the brand, the shield, they don’t give two sh-ts.”
“They don’t get how precious life is, and then I have this f-cking survivor’s guilt.”
I don’t know who needs to hear this, or if I just needed to say it, but I will not continue to stand by and watch my brothers disappear because the multi billion $$$ corporation won’t do the right thing. @nfl @NFLPA do something!! #igoturback #nflbrotherhood pic.twitter.com/rQciHiPSgZ
— Ryan D Leaf (@RyanDLeaf) February 16, 2021
Hopefully, Leaf’s video, and the many other messages shared by former and current players, will push the NFL to use its resources and insanely deep pockets to help players that may be struggling following the end of their careers.