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Todd Heap Receives Support And Prayer After He Accidentally Kills Daughter In Truck Accident

By Patricia Grannum
Published on: 09:17 PST, Apr 15, 2017

Todd Heap, the former tight end for the Baltimore Ravens and the Arizona Cardinals, is receiving heaps of support and prayer on social media after news broke that he accidentally killed his 3-year-old daughter in a truck accident at his home.

The calls for prayer came from a wide range of individuals from fans of the former NFL star and high profile athletes and sports commentators like Stephen A. Smith.

The Baltimore Ravens also put out a statement where they expressed their condolences to their former player and his family.

“We cannot imagine the heartbreak and sorrow Todd and Ashley’s family feels right now,” the statement read.

“This is knee-buckling news and an overwhelmingly sad tragedy. Our prayers, our thoughts and our hearts are with the Heaps, who have contributed so much to the Ravens and Baltimore community. We believe their deep faith and tremendous support from friends and family will help them through this unimaginable time.”

As Time Magazine notes, Heap’s other former team, the Arizona Cardinals, also put out a statement in light of his recent tragedy.

“Our hearts go out to Todd, Ashley and the Heap family,” the Cardinals said.

“It is a grief that is beyond words and one which no family should ever experience. Hopefully the prayers, love and support of their incredible group of friends and family provide them comfort that along with their strong faith will lead them through this unspeakably difficult time.”

As the Inquisitr previously reported, Todd Heap accidentally killed his daughter while moving his truck forward in his driveway. According to early reports from the authorities, Heap was not impaired in any way while he was driving. His daughter was rushed to hospital after the incident but was pronounced dead on arrival. According to The Independent, she was the youngest of the NFL star’s five children. Although there were no initial signs of impairment, police say that there will be an investigation into the circumstances around the child’s death.

The retired tight end is well known for being a family man with a strong Christian faith.

He’s also known for his philanthropy. As The Independent notes, the former pro- footballer has raised lots of money for children who are sick or underprivileged through a charitable foundation, the Todd Heap Family Pediatric Centre, which he started in Baltimore in 2010.

Heap is a member of The Church of Latter Day Saints and has previously talked about how his participation in the Church has added “structure” to his life.

“To have that structure in life helps to mold you into a better person,” Heap said in 2011 in an interview with Deseret News.

“So, even when you do mess up or get hurt, you can always look to what you learned when you were young to get back on the right path.”

In that article, it was also revealed that this isn’t the first time that Heap has accidentally hurt someone. When he was 11-years-old, he accidentally shot a neighbor’s daughter in the leg with a BB gun. At the time, he said it was something he would never forget.

“I was five rows deep in the orange groves (near home) when I heard a moped coming down the dirt path,” he said of the incident.

“I thought it was a buddy of mine whom I’d been feuding with. He had a moped, so I took this outlandish shot.”

When he realized the big mistake he’d made, 11-year-old Todd Heap ran.

“I took off running, to the back of the grove. Then I threw the gun down and went back to check on her,” he said.

“I owned up to it, but when Becky got home and told her father, she didn’t tell him who’d done it.”

This recent accident will undoubtedly be harder to get over though. Hopefully, his faith and the support of fans and friends can help Todd Heap and his family in this difficult time.

[Featured Image by Rob Carr/Getty Images]

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