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Family of Ravens' Jaylon Ferguson 'Utterly Shocked,' Call His Death One Of 'Darkest Moments In Our Lives'

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The fiancé of Ravens linebacker Jaylon Ferguson has shared her grief online as she mourns the love of her life.

Doni Smith posted a statement from Ferguson's family that "his kindness, big heart and infectious personality will be missed by so many, but his legacy will continue."

The 26-year-old football player was reportedly in the best shape of his career, and his sudden death at a North Baltimore home this week has stunned those closest to him. 

Baltimore police said there were no signs of trauma or foul play, and they are not ruling out the possibility of an overdose.

The medical examiner will perform an autopsy and determine the cause of death. 

On Thursday, the medical examiner's office would not say how long that would take and told WJZ they "do not discuss cases under investigation."

 

Ferguson's family said in the statement that "despite the speculation in earlier reports, at this point in time the cause of Jaylon's death has yet to be determined. This is one of the darkest moments in our lives and we are still utterly shocked."

Ferguson was a standout athlete in college and high school in Louisiana and his former coach paid tribute.

"Just by his size alone, you know, he's like 6′4′ 6′5″, and so he stood out in a crowd, but just his personality. It attracted people to him and the kids here looked up to him and they still look up to him," Ferguson's high school coach Robb Odom told Baton Rouge CBS station WAFB. "Be a good person, like Jay, you know. Not just a great athlete, but a good person off the field also, which Jay was, you know . . . it's sad."

In a team podcast the year after he joined the Ravens, Ferguson said he was proud to be in Charm City and dreamed of a long and legendary career here.

"Hopefully, when my career winds up, I'll be one of the great outside linebackers for Baltimore everybody talking about," Ferguson said in 2020.

Ferguson's family is asking for privacy as it navigates "through this difficult time."

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