An unhappy story comes out of the NFL. And while he wasn’t a name that the average person would recognize, we are sad to report that NFL wide receiver Rondale Moore has passed away after taking his life.
Moore played wide receiver and was a return specialist. He started his college career at the University of Purdue and spent time with the Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, and Minnesota Vikings.
He died on February 21, 2026, at age 25. His body was found in the garage of a property in his hometown, New Albany, Indiana. Authorities believe the cause of death was a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police and the coroner have said the death is under investigation, and an autopsy was planned.
After a brilliant freshman season at Purdue in 2018, Moore was drafted in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Cardinals and showed explosive playmaking ability early in his NFL career. Unfortunately, injuries derailed his pro career.
Moore missed the entire 2024 season with the Atlanta Falcons due to a knee injury. In 2025, with the Minnesota Vikings, he suffered another severe knee injury in a preseason game and did not play that season either.
The NFL community continues to mourn the death of Moore, who was found dead at his Indiana home.
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown was among those who couldn’t believe the news, and he revealed he had just spoken with Moore not hours before he was discovered with a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound in a garage.
“Bro ain’t no way brotha you just messaged me [a] few hours ago,” Brown wrote on X. Brown posted another tweet saying, “You wasn’t alone bro… I told you I know how you feel.”
He even shared a text thread he had with Moore, where he shared words of encouragement after Moore suffered another season-ending injury. He had dealt with one in 2024, and during the Minnesota Vikings’ first preseason game of 2025, Moore tore his ACL on Aug. 9, 2025.
“Praying for you, brother,” Brown wrote to Moore with a praying hands emoji, “sometimes in life when stuff don’t go as planned, as frustrating as it may be, have to always remember God is in control, his plan will always prevail. All we can do is trust him and always remember someone has it worse. I’m here if you ever need to talk, bro I know how s— feel it sucks, dawg but knowing you, you built for this. Don’t give up [flexed arm emoji.”
Obviously, when anyone takes their own life, it is tragic. Having depression can affect absolutely anyone. Until we start taking mental health more seriously in this country, we will continue to have more tragedies. Let’s hope and pray that something changes.
