Cedric Killings, a former NFL great has died at the age of 45 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
Killings played for the San Francisco 49ers, Houston Texans, and other teams throughout his seven-year NFL career before suffering a fractured vertebra that ended it abruptly.
The terrible death of the defensive lineman from pancreatic cancer occurred on June 21. His wife Shavon paid tribute to an “all-around great person” while expressing shock at the information. ‘My love, my best friend, my husband of 21 years is no longer physically with me but he lives in my heart and in the hearts of our three children,’ she penned in an emotional Facebook post.
‘If you’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting him then you already know how special he is. Just an all-around great person. I don’t just say this as his wife, it’s echoed by family, friends, and former teammates.
‘It has been an honour to share life with him and to love and be loved by him. So grateful for it all. Love you for life. Our love will live strong for generations to come.’
“Cedric was a fantastic person, player, father, husband, teammate and most importantly, a man of God. We are praying for and grieve with Cedric’s family during this difficult time,” Carson-Newman head football coach and Killings former college football teammate Mike Clowney said in a statement.
Following a successful career at Carson-Newman, Killings was not drafted in 2000. Before suffering a career-ending injury, he played for the Texans, Browns, Vikings, Redskins, 49ers, and Panthers. Killings was horribly injured to his neck in a 2007 game against the Colts.
After colliding with another player head-on on a kickoff, the defensive lineman sustained a cracked vertebra in his neck. He would never again take a professional football snap in his entire life.
Killings, though, displayed amazing courage and perseverance when he shocked teammates during practice just a few days later, as reported by the New York Post. Now, at the age of 45, he has passed away after a protracted fight with pancreatic cancer.
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