Tray Walker died Friday one day after a dirt bike crash, and reactions are now pouring in from players and coaches across the NFL.
Walked was critically injured while driving on a road in Liberty City, Florida, after he collided with a Ford Escape at an intersection. Police said Walker was wearing dark clothing and had no headlights, and also was not wearing a helmet.
Tray Walker had been listed in critical condition, and on Friday he died.
In the hours after Walker’s crash, Ravens coach John Harbaugh wrote an open letter to the team saying that the accident “shook me and all of us.”
“There is a lot going on out there and you are going to be involved in tough and difficult situations. You are making and will continue to make important choices pretty much every day. That’s okay. That’s our reality. It can even be very good to be put in different circumstances. To make it right, you are going to have to grow up fast. Probably faster than many of your friends and family,” he wrote, via ESPN .
Walker was a reserve cornerback in 2015, his rookie season. He played a total of eight snaps on defense and made one tackle. He had dedicated the season to his father, who died of a heart attack in 2014.
As ESPN noted, he was well-regarded among his teammates.
“Considered quiet yet good-natured, Walker endured a steep learning curve going from Texas Southern to the NFL. Baltimore made him the 16th cornerback taken in the 2015 draft, with Walker’s height (6-foot-2) and length (his 33-plus-inch arms and 80? wingspan were the longest known of that draft class) ideal for that position. He was expected to battle for the No. 3 or No. 4 cornerback spot on the Ravens this season.
“In mid-December, Harbaugh called Walker a ‘sponge’ in terms of his learning.
After Tray Walker’s death, other members of the Baltimore Ravens shared their condolences and remembered the 23-year-old.
“Tray was one of the most humble persons we brought in for a pre-draft visit,” said Ozzie Newsome, the team’s general manager and executive vice president, in a statement on the team’s official website . “That was striking. After we drafted him, he and his family were so excited to receive the call that he was about to become a Raven. It was one of the calls I will always remember. There was such joy for Tray and his family.”
We are saddened to share that Ravens DB Tray Walker has passed away at age 23: https://t.co/Vt9IJg3J1Q pic.twitter.com/8pYJS3EEoO
— NFL (@NFL) March 18, 2016
Chris Hewitt, the team’s defensive backs coach, had an even more personal memory to share. He remembered Tray as a kind-hearted player who was very well liked in the locker room.
“Tray was a young man who had a way about him that he could light up a room with his smile. Once you got to know him, he was one of the funniest guys,” he said. “Whenever I got angry, he could make me laugh in a tense situation and bring me back to a cooler head. He challenged me as a coach, because he had a thirst for knowledge. And although things didn’t always go his way, he was ready for the next battle or challenge that you presented to him.”
Tray Walker had spoken during the 2015 season about his frustration on the field. He was inactive for half of the team’s games, but he had hopes of taking a larger role on the team in 2016.
[Image via BaltimoreRavens.com ]
