Vernon Davis is still processing the tragic death of his brother Vontae and is relying on detectives to uncover the mysterious causes behind the former Colts, Dolphins and Bills corner’s death, he said in a new interview.
Bonte was found unresponsive in his Florida home and authorities were investigating his death, although preliminary findings show no signs of foul play.
This death shocked the NFL community and Vernon. told the Daily Mail “This really surprised me.”
“I don’t know what to make of that,” Vernon told the outlet.
Davis also revealed that Bonte appeared to have slipped and fallen after coming out of the sauna at home.
There appeared to be no signs of a break-in or that items in the home had been ransacked.
“We’re relying on detectives to figure it out, but we don’t have any answers at this point,” Vernon said. “They said they’re going to run tests and they’ll contact us. It could be up to a month, month and a half before we know anything.”
Bonte’s ex-wife Megan Harp suggested in a text to the Daily Mail that he had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which can only be diagnosed post-mortem.
Symptoms include memory loss, depression, paranoia and suicidal thoughts, and Vernon suggested her brother was diagnosed with ADD while growing up.
He did not rule out the possibility that his brother had CTE, but reiterated that there are still few answers.
“Maybe so, maybe not. There’s no real answer to that because there’s no way to look inside our brains while we’re alive,” Vernon said. “Bonte never showed any history of using drugs or anything like that. Two weeks ago, I went to his house and he had a masseuse there. He had a stretch therapist, a chiropractor, etc. It is.”
Vontae appeared in 121 games over a 10-year career, including stints with the Dolphins, Colts and Bills.
He was nominated to the Pro Bowl twice during his time with the Colts, recording 22 interceptions and 97 passes defensed.
The Davis brothers grew up in a tough neighborhood in Washington, D.C., and while Vernon felt like a father figure to Bonte, he said of how close they were, saying, “I couldn’t have picked a better brother.” I reminisced.
“He was like my son,” Vernon said. “We were four years apart, but I remember waking him up for training when he was younger and I was in high school. I’m proud of his great work ethic, ability, and discipline. The difference between being good at something and being great at something. Understand and make efforts.
“We were the changemakers in our family. We grew up in a tough environment, but we had goals and aspirations to be better than where we came from.”
Authorities on Tuesday released an audiotape of a call made after Bonte was found and a janitor, restoration worker and security guard along with detectives were found at the residence the same day.
