Kenyatta Jones, an offensive lineman who played four NFL seasons in New England and Washington, has died at the age of 39.
Jones’ mother told the Tampa Bay Times that her son died of cardiac arrest.
A 2001 fourth-round draft pick of the Patriots, Jones played his college football for a South Florida program that was just getting started in the 1990s, and he was the first player drafted from South Florida.
“Just a fun-loving guy, man, like a gentle giant,” his South Florida teammate Keith Williams told the Tampa Bay Times. “But on that field, he took care of business.”
The 6-foot-3, 307-pound Jones played a total of 21 NFL games.