Former Arizona Cardinals cornerback Chris Payton-Jones was killed Saturday in a car accident in Florida. He was only 30.
Payton-Jones reportedly collided with a pickup truck in Alachua County, Florida, and later died from his injuries. He was the only fatality in the accident as the driver of the truck and his passengers only suffered minor injuries, according to WJXT-TV.
The Jacksonville, Florida, native first debuted in the NFL as a member of the Lions’ practice squad in 2018, but by the next season, he was signed by Arizona. Starting in 2020, he spent the next several seasons drifting from team to team, including stints with the Lions, the Titans, and the Raiders, before retiring from the NFL in 2022 and moving into the UFL and XFL.
While he didn’t make a big mark on the field, he had a huge impact on the players and coaches he played with, as he seemed to have been universally liked and respected.
Payton-Jones’ Sandalwood High School coach, Adam Geis, praised the ex-NFLer as a genuine, dedicated player with an excellent work ethic.
“He was one of my all-time favorites! The kid never missed a workout, never missed practice, and never wanted to come off the field. Everyone loved him,” Geis said, the station reported.
“He was always unbelievably positive. I’ve never heard that kid ever say anything negative about anyone or anything. … It was always a pleasure to be around him. You were always happy to see him,” the coach added.
Central State University coach Pat Clark also praised the player.
“Chris was the hardest working human being I’ve ever been around, a great player but even better person. He was never the biggest or fastest, but he did things the right way, and the game paid him back for it,” Clark told the media.
“Ultimately, he was going to make his biggest impact off the field as he was transitioning to a career of service in media and development of young athletes. I credit Chris as a huge inspiration to my coaching career as I moved up in the ranks. He is everything you want in a student athlete,” Clark added.
Friends and coworkers also said that Payton-Jones was passionate about giving back to the community.
“I’ve trained him and worked with him. I’ve never been around a more genuine guy who has a big heart for kids in this community. Just a positive role model in action, not choice,” said James Coleman, a former fullback at Florida State.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Facebook at: Facebook.com/Warner.Todd.Huston, Truth Social @WarnerToddHuston, or at X/Twitter @WTHuston
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.