A shocking loss. Former NFL player Marion Barber III was found dead at the age of 38 on Wednesday, June 1, and the news has rocked football fans everywhere.
“We are heartbroken by the tragic death of Marion Barber III,” the Dallas Cowboys, the team Barber played for from 2005 until 2010, said in a statement on Wednesday. “Marion was an old-school, hard-nosed football player who ran with the will to win every down. He had a passion for the game and love for his coaches and teammates. Our hearts go out to Marion’s family and friends during this difficult time.”
The late running back, who would have turned 39 on June 10, was discovered in his Frisco, Texas, apartment after police conducted a welfare check because someone alerted them to a water leak in the unit. “Frisco Police responded to a welfare concern at an apartment believed to be leased by Marion Barber,” police spokesperson Joshua Lovell said on Thursday, June 2, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “Frisco Police along with the Collin County Medical Examiner’s Office are investigating an unattended death at the location.”
His cause of death is currently unknown.
The Minnesota native played college football for the University of Minnesota before being drafted into the NFL by the Cowboys in 2005. Despite being the team’s backup running back, Barber managed to make a name for himself as a tough, determined player who specialized in breaking tackles. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2007, a rare feat for a player who wasn’t part of the starting lineup.
After being released by Dallas in July 2011, Barber played his final season with the Chicago Bears. He announced his retirement in 2012.
Following his departure from the league, Barber struggled with mental illness and dealt with quite a bit of legal trouble. In 2014, he was detained by police and taken to a hospital for a mental health evaluation, and five years later, he was arrested on two misdemeanor counts of criminal mischief after allegedly damaging two cars while running, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
His former Cowboys teammate, Dez Bryant, reflected on Barber’s struggles in July 2021 while sharing an old highlights reel from his days in the league. “As I watch this video and me knowing exactly how Marion barber life is going right now today … I can’t even enjoy it because he’s down and out bad…we are just a stat and moments to most people…” the wide receiver, 33, wrote via Twitter at the time.
On Wednesday, Bryant encouraged his fellow NFL players to support one another and reach out to teammates who are going through difficult times. “I see the problem amongst ourselves. We can’t be walking around here thinking, ‘It’s not going to be me.’ Because there’s been more ‘me’s than any one of y’all can even imagine,” he said in an emotional video shared via Twitter. “We have to bring unity amongst one another. That’s why I hit y’all up — you know who you are.”
He continued: We gotta find the answers, and that’s up to us. … We created this s–t and [the NFL] ai’nt nothing without us.”
Keep scrolling to learn more about the late athlete:
