Mitch Morse played 10 NFL seasons, starting with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2015. He played with the team for four years before moving to the Bills and Jaguars later in his career. However, the center walked away in March 2025, saying he wanted more time with his family. This week, that family is grieving.

Morse revealed on Instagram that his younger brother, Robbie, died last week at 30.

“Last week, we lost my brother Robbie at the age of 30,” he wrote on Instagram on October 5. “Robbie’s life was unique, and at times incredibly difficult. But through all of it, he was surrounded by family and friends who loved him profoundly. As we grieve the loss of a son, a brother, and someone who has been a part of our lives for the last three decades, we also find peace in knowing that the physical shackles of this life no longer hold him. Robbie is free. He is whole. And he is home with our Lord. We love you, Robbo. Rest easy, buddy.”

Robbie was Mitch’s younger brother, and Mitch has never kept that bond private. In a 2019 interview with The Buffalo News, he described how much Robbie kept him grounded, and his latest post circles back to that same story.

Growing up, Mitch quickly learned that Robbie’s needs came first, simply because they had to. He never resented it.

“There were some really tough days that molded us as people, molded us as a family, brought us tighter together,” he told The Buffalo News in 2019. “And absolutely, there was no chance in hell I was going to be an extra burden on my family. That was the last thing I wanted to do.”

Robbie’s life changed before he was old enough to crawl. At just four months old, he suffered severe brain trauma while in a babysitter’s care, and doctors identified a bilateral subdural hematoma, an injury consistent with an infant who had been violently shaken.

The babysitter, then 20, told police she shook him because he would not stop crying. She eventually accepted a plea deal and avoided prison time.

For Robbie, the damage was permanent, leaving him with serious intellectual and physical disabilities for the rest of his life.

Most families would have been consumed by anger. Kevin, the boys’ father, said he was not.

According to him, friends assumed he would be furious, yet that rage never arrived. Whenever the babysitter crossed his mind, what he felt was pity, not hatred.

“There’s never been a moment that we’ve thought about any kind of retribution. Not one moment,” Kevin said. “Every friend of mine would have told you, ‘Well, I thought he would go over there and kill her. Literally.’ But [that feeling] never came out, it just went away. This was just about Robbie and Mitch, and that was a complete waste of emotion. It was time to focus, and that’s what we did.”

Since the news broke, former teammates and the Bills have offered their condolences.

Condolences pour in for Mitch Morse after family loss

Mitch Trubisky was among those who reached out with a message of support. The former Bills quarterback, who now plays for the Tennessee Titans, shared a heartfelt message for his former teammate.

“Sending love and prayers your way, brother! 🙏🙏❤️❤️.”

The Buffalo Bills also showed their support through their official Instagram account. The team sent a message to the player and his family, writing, “Sending love to you and your family. ❤️💙.”

The message showed that the organization was standing with him during a difficult moment.

Former Bills star Eric Wood also took a moment to offer his support.

“Continuing to pray for you and your family, brother! 🙏,” Wood wrote. His message added to the growing number of people from the Bills community reaching out.

The Jacksonville Jaguars joined the messages of support as well.

“Sending love to your family 🤍,” the team’s official account commented.  

Justin Britt, who played with Morse at the University of Missouri, also shared an emotional message.

“Love you, brother. Prayers to your family. I know you were the best big brother. 🕊️,” the former NFL center wrote, showing that the support extended beyond former teammates and into Trubisky’s college football family.

For a man who stepped away from the game in March 2025, it is a reminder that the people he played with are still standing beside him.