Former Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee remembered his late friend and teammate Vontae Davis.
The former NFL cornerback was found unresponsive in his Florida home earlier this week, Miami television station WSVN reported Monday. Davis police and the Broward County Coroner’s Office responded to the scene, and authorities later announced that the body was that of Davis’ grandmother.
Davis’ death stunned his former coach, teammates and others.
On Monday’s “Pat McAfee Show,” host and former Colts teammate Darius Butler did their best to keep their emotions in check while praising Davis.
“If you knew him, you loved him,” McAfee said. Butler added: “I’ll always remember him.”
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Pat McAfee speaks during the Media Row show during Super Bowl LVI at the Los Angeles Convention Center on February 10, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Cooper Neal/Getty Images)
McAfee described Davis as a “nice guy.”
“Bonte was an incredibly cool guy, a good guy, a nice guy, a funny guy, a energetic guy,” McAfee said. “I think what we’ll remember about him is that he was an incredibly cool teammate in that locker room and a guy that we all enjoyed being around every day.”
He also encouraged viewers to try to keep in touch with friends.
“Literally, if you knew him, you loved him and you really enjoyed him. And today was tough. It’s going to be tough, but this is for everyone. It’s a great vantage point to remind me to reach out to my people…I haven’t talked to him in months and obviously never will again.
“So reach out to your friends and tell them you appreciate them. Let them know you love them. Let them know they’re not alone… Rest in peace, Bonte. Well done… I had no idea it was going to happen. Nobody knew.”
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Balter spent the final six seasons of his NFL career in Indy and noted that Davis’ birthday is “just around the corner.”
Vontae Davis #21 of the Indianapolis Colts watches from the sideline during a game against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium on October 23, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)
“He’s 35 years old, his birthday is coming up…he’s kind of lived his life to the beat of his own drum, and it’s hard to break away from that.” [of the NFL] You have to deal with life. When you live a dream for so long…when it comes to real life…it’s tough,” said an emotional Butler.
McAfee said he and Butler learned of Davis’ death earlier in the day, but wanted to wait until the news was made public before speaking about their former teammate.
August 28, 2014. Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee (1) during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. (Andrew Webber-USA TODAY Sports)
“We didn’t want to be that person, and we didn’t think it was appropriate to be the one letting the world know that one of our former teammates and friends had passed away,” McAfee said. . “It just felt weird and I was trying to distract myself the whole show. It was a rough morning.”
Davis’ younger brother, Vernon Davis, won a Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos.
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The Miami Dolphins selected Davis in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He joined the Colts in 2012 and spent six seasons with Indianapolis before playing his final NFL season with the Buffalo Bills in 2018.
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