Ravens cornerback Tray Walker died Friday from injuries sustained in a motorbike accident in southeast Florida the previous night.
He was 23 years old.
A fourth-round pick out of Texas Southern in the 2015 draft, Walker was treated at Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami. According to WPLG-TV in Miami, he had been in “bad shape” due to head trauma and was in surgery after his bike collided with a sport utility vehicle around 8 p.m. on Thursday. Walker was wearing dark clothing without a helmet, and his dirt bike was not equipped with lights.
Walker’s agent, Ron Butler, told ESPN earlier on Friday that he was unresponsive and “fighting for his life” after the accident and a full night in surgery.
Head coach John Harbaugh sent a powerful letter to his players on Friday in response to Walker’s accident. Team officials were traveling to Miami to support Walker and his family before the start of the league meetings in nearby Boca Raton, Fla. on Sunday.
Walker dedicated his rookie season to his father, who died of a heart attack in November 2014.
“That’s all he wanted,” Walker said a week after being drafted by the Ravens. “He just wanted the best for me and prayed to God I’d get this chance, and now I’m here.”
The 6-foot-2, 199-pound defensive back played sparingly in eight games for the Ravens as a rookie, registering one tackle and mostly seeing action on special teams. Walker was considered more of a developmental prospect when he was drafted, but general manager Ozzie Newsome had said in early January that the Ravens “still hold a lot of promise” for the young cornerback.
In 42 career games at Texas Southern, an FCS school, Walker grabbed nine interceptions and made 159 total tackles. The Ravens were attracted to his size and potential to be able to play press coverage at the NFL level.
A Miami native, Walker attended Miami Northwestern High. He was a high school teammate of Minnesota Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and Oakland Raiders receiver Amari Cooper.
