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Two-time Pro Bowl defensive back Vontae Davis died this week at the age of 35.
His brother, ex-NFL tight end Vernon Davis, spoke about his brother’s death in an interview with the Daily Mail.
Vernon said Vontae collapsed after stepping out of a sauna.
Police say no foul play is suspected, and Vernon said Vontae “never showed a history” of drug use.
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Vernon Davis, left, of the San Francisco 49ers stands with his brother Vontae Davis (23) of the Indianapolis Colts after a game at Candlestick Park Sept. 22, 2013, in San Francisco. (Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)
“This thing definitely caught me by surprise. I just don’t know what to make of it,” Vernon told the Daily Mail. “I’m leaning on the detectives to figure it out, but, right now, we have no answers.
“They are going to run tests, and they said they’ll get back to us. It could be as long as a month, a month and a half, until we know anything.”
Vontae was previously diagnosed with attention-deficit disorder.
“Maybe that’s the case, maybe it’s not,” Vernon said on whether it played a role in Vontae’s death.
“We don’t really have an answer to that because there is no way to see into our brain while we live. I was at his house two weeks ago, and he had the massage therapist there. He had a stretch therapist, a chiropractor, you name it.
Defensive back Vontae Davis of the Buffalo Bills warms up prior to a preseason game against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland. (Nick Cammett/Diamond Images/Getty Images)
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“He was like my son. We were four years apart, but I remember waking him up to do workouts when he was young and I was in high school. I made him do it because I wanted him to succeed even more than I wanted myself to succeed. I’m proud of him for his great work ethic, for his ability, his discipline.
“For understanding the difference between being good and great at something and for putting in the work. We were the difference makers in our family. We came from a tough background, but we had goals and aspirations to be better than the space we came out of. I could not have picked a better little brother.”
Vontae was arrested for DUI in February 2023, but Vernon said he had been “doing well” and “just taking care of everything behind the scenes.”
Vontae Davis of the Buffalo Bills during pregame warmups prior to the start of a game against the Los Angeles Chargers at New Era Field Sept. 16, 2018, in Buffalo. (Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
Vontae was a first-round draft pick in 2009 by the Miami Dolphins, and he spent three seasons with the Dolphins before joining the Indianapolis Colts in 2012.He made two Pro Bowls with Indy before heading to the Bills in 2018.
He retired at halftime during his second game with Buffalo and was also known for a moment on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” when he said he needed to call his grandmother after being traded by Miami.
He finished with 22 interceptions, 395 combined tackles and 97 passes defended over 121 games in his career.
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.
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