The girlfriend of late NFL and Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett posted a tribute on Facebook days after he drowned off the coast of northwest Florida.
“I prayed for you for 27 years, and we finally found each other,” Madison Carter wrote in the post, which published Sunday evening. “I trust that God has a plan for everything, but I don’t think I will ever understand why this happened. I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you, and I hope you know how hard I tried.”
The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said June 27 that a tourist, later identified as Mallett, had been struggling to make it back to shore off of the coast of Destin, which is located along the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. Per police, Mallett went under and lifeguards said he was not breathing when he had finally been pulled out of the water. Mallett was later pronounced dead at an area hospital. He was 35.
“I can never thank you enough for loving me the way that you did,” Carter continued in the post. “In such a short time, you showed me the love I have prayed for my entire life. You loved me fiercely and unapologetically. We were planning our future. We were just getting started. I’m sure some think we’re crazy for feeling the way we did about each other in such a short time. I thought we were crazy at first too. But you helped me understand that when two souls connect the way ours did, love has no set timeline.”
Mallett played five seasons in the NFL for the New England Patriots, Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens. He became a household college football name after two stellar seasons at Arkansas.
“Everyone knows how talented, dedicated, and passionate you were about the game of football,” Carter wrote. “Those of us who were lucky enough to know your heart know that it was even bigger than your larger-than-life personality and stature. Nothing was ever about you, it was always about others. Multiple times, I heard you say ‘there are so many good people in this world,’ and that statement alone shows what kind of person you were. Always looking for the good.”
Mallett had recently had joined the White Hall (Arkansas) High School coaching staff last year as head football coach.
“Words cannot convey how badly I miss you,” Carter wrote. “I hope you know how loved you are. By myself, your amazing family, your friends, your teammates, your students, and countless others. I don’t know how I’ll ever get past this. But I’m so honored to love you and be loved by you. You changed my life, and I’m forever grateful for the time we had. No amount of time would have ever been enough. I love you, Ryan. Please watch over us. I can’t wait to see you again.”
Who was Ryan Mallett?
Mallett, a native of Batesville, Arkansas, transferred to the Razorbacks from the University of Michigan in 2008. After sitting out a year due to NCAA transfer rules, he immediately took the SEC by storm at a time when Tim Tebow ruled the conference. He led the conference in passing yards and touchdowns in both 2009 and 2010, posting consecutive seasons with at least 3,600 yards and 30 touchdowns. Mallett earned All-SEC second-team honors both times, falling behind Tebow in 2009 and Cam Newton in 2010, two Heisman-award winning quarterbacks. He finished seventh in Heisman voting in 2010.
With one year of eligibility remaining, Mallett decided to enter the 2011 NFL draft. As the draft neared, he was trending toward becoming a first-round pick. However, Mallett fell to the third round, drafted by the Patriots to serve as Tom Brady’s backup. Mallett spent two seasons backing up Brady before being traded to the Texans.
How did Ryan Mallett do in the NFL?
He started two games in his first year with Houston in 2014. Mallett threw for 211 yards and two touchdowns in his first game, but tore his pectoral muscle during his start the next week. He began the next season as the Texans back-up before starting in Week 2 and 3, throwing for 472 yards and 2 touchdowns. Mallett was benched in Week 4 during a blowout loss and released four weeks later after missing the team’s charter flight for a game in Miami.
In December 2015, the Ravens signed Mallett after quarterback Joe Flacco suffered a season-ending injury. He threw for a career-high in yards in each of his two starts with the Ravens. He served as Flacco’s backup in the next two seasons, appearing in his final NFL game in October 2017.
Contributing: Anthony Gharib
