Ronald Powell, a former Gators linebacker, reportedly died on Monday. He was 32 years old. On Tuesday, the NFL Players Association’s Former Players Fraternity acknowledged the death of Ronald Powell, a former Florida Gator and professional linebacker. He was 32 years old.
“Today we mourn the loss of Ronald Powell–a father, a brother, and a son who was loved and cherished by so many,” the NFLPA Former Players Fraternity stated in a statement on social media. “We offer comfort to everyone who knew Ronald. [Rest in Peace].”
A cause of death for Powell, who died on Monday, Jan. 15, was not immediately available, according to Junior Galette, Powell’s former teammate with the New Orleans Saints in 2014.
Powell, a Moreno Valley, Calif. native, signed with Florida as a five-star recruit and the consensus top prospect in the class of 2010, regardless of position, at Rancho Verde High. He had an early impact for the Gators, totaling 57 tackles, seven sacks, and 9.5 tackles for loss in his first two seasons in Gainesville. However, Powell’s left ACL was torn multiple times in 2012, once during Florida’s Orange and Blue spring game and again during his recuperation from the initial injury, limiting him to one appearance as a junior and seemingly affecting the rest of his football career.
He returned to UF for a redshirt junior season in 2013, recording 26 tackles, seven for loss, and four sacks before declaring for the NFL.
“It’s been well documented the hardships he has had to overcome, and he has always kept a positive attitude,” former Florida head coach Will Muschamp said of Powell at the time.
The Saints selected Powell in the fifth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He appeared in 14 games for the New Orleans Saints during his debut season, but despite spells with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chicago Bears, and Seattle Seahawks in 2017, he did not make another career appearance due to repeated injury designations.
Powell’s football career briefly relaunched when he signed with the Orlando Apollos of the now-defunct AAF for its lone 2019 season, joining former Florida head coach Steve Spurrier’s spring league team. He was placed on the waived/injured list before the season began, however, and did not play in a game. Tributes continued to pour in for Powell via social media on Tuesday, including from the Florida football program, which wrote that its “thoughts and prayers are with [Powell’s] family and loved ones.”
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