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“RIP Young King”: Way Too Early Passing of 25-Year-Old Patriots Defensive End Malik Gant Sends Shockwaves Through a Mournful NFL World

Published 06/10/2023, 6:00 AM EDT

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It is another black day for the NFL world! The league lost a young talented athlete, who had a lot to prove with his professional footballing career. Former New England Patriots DE, Malik Gant, passed away recently at just the tender age of 25. Looking at his college stats, nobody could have doubted that the youngster was destined for greatness. While his cause of death is still mysterious, his performances in the world of college football were far from ordinary. He played both safety and cornerback for his alma mater, the Thundering Herd before the Patriots recognized the young potential.

After being signed as an undrafted free agent, Gant spent most of his debut season on the injury reserve list. He appeared in two pre-season games and was released before the start of the regular season. But during his college days, he had a fabulous football record, which even earned him a scholarship.

A memorable college record of the defensive star

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Malik Gant joined the college football scene in 2016, playing 12 games as a redshirt and garnering six tackles overall. Gant had his standout year in 2017, making 100 tackles, five pass deflections, and three QB hurries. This also earned him Second Team All-Conference USA honors. Because of this performance, then Herds HC Doc Holliday declared him the “Spring MVP”. Not only this, but his breakout year also led to him earning a scholarship before the beginning of his NFL journey. And do you know that he was also named the semi-finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award for the Best defensive back in college football?

Having not played football since 2022, his family recently confirmed the news of his death. Gant passed away in Miami on May 25. While the details surrounding his death have not been made public, his family released a statement confirming the death of their 25-year-old son. His death occurred just four days before he was to turn 26. In the official statement released by the family, they called him “a remarkable individual who touched the lives of many with his kindness, charisma, and unwavering spirit.” The statement further went on to read that “his memory will forever live on in our hearts.”

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Despite his limited experience in the league, the NFL world came together to mourn the loss of the young talent in the league.

NFL world mourns the loss of Gant

The death of the young ex-Patriots player has left fans in disbelief, as they took to social media to share their heartfelt condolences to his friends and family. 

One fan commented, “RIP young king!🙏”

Another fan said, “Heartbreaking news. Malik was taken far too soon. My condolences to his family, friends, and former teammates. Rest in peace, Malik Gant. will miss you dearly.”

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This fan shared his condolences for his family. “As a Dolphins fan, this is very sad, 25 is way too young to go praying for his family.”

Another fan commented, “Rip can’t imagine what family is going through”

This fan said, “RIP Malik you will be remembered by the Herd”.

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Watch this story: “RIP Bill”: NFL fans mourn the untimely death of a 60-year-old veteran to cancer

As Gant’s family and friends navigate through the loss of their loved one, we offer our deepest condolences to everyone affected by his sudden death. 

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Written by:

Priyam Hazarika

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Priyam Hazarika is a ‘freshman’ at EssentiallySports. He was picked in the latest round of ‘ES Draft’ when we picked young writers with plenty of passion for NFL writing. Still in his early days, Priyam is driven by the words of wisdom from one of the greatest NFL coaches, Vince Lombardi: “Winning is not everything — but making the effort to win is.
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Nidhi