RIP Ryan Mallett
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While riding yesterday I pulled up my sports app to see if there was any news. Unfortunately I saw that former NFL player Ryan Mallett had passed away.
I was stunned. I knew he was young, and now coaching. I remembered watching him at Michigan, and then at Arkansas. When he arrived to play QB at Michigan I was stoked. He was going to replace Chad Henne, who was a senior. He got some early action in a blowout and when I watched him play, I got even more excited. He had a rocket arm. He seemed fearless. He wanted to sling it around the field. It seemed like a great match. He saw a bit more time in other games and it looked like he was ready to step in. Then Lloyd Carr retired and Michigan hired Rich Rodriguez. The system didn’t fit the QB. Mallett, as expected, transferred. He ended up at Arkansas, which made sense since he was from there. He was pretty solid during his tenure. He said some issues with the law, public intoxication, but the guy produced on the field. He threw for over 3,000 yards twice. He put up 30 plus touchdowns each season. He was an all SEC player. He went to the draft and was a third round pick by the Patriots, backing up Tom Brady. The NFL never really worked for him, but he made it. He even started a few games here and there. Once he retired he went into coaching. This was an excellent fit for him. He knew the ins and outs and could help kids make it to the next level. But to read this news yesterday, to see he had drowned when he was getting into a job he was well equipped to excel at, that’s tragic. He was five years younger than I am right now. That is far too short of a life. I don’t know if he was married, or if he had any kids, but he leaves a hole in the heart of Michigan, Arkansas and NFL fans everywhere. People rooted for this guy. They wanted him to succeed. So to see his life cut painfully short is as tragic as it gets.
Rest in Peace Ryan Mallett. You will be very missed.
Ty
Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.
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