Ex-NFL Cornerback Killed in Horrific Houston Car Crash That Claimed Six
Four former University of Houston football players, including one who played in the National Football League, were killed Saturday in a collision in Houston.
Former cornerback D.J. Hayden, who was a first-round pick of the Oakland Raiders in 2013, was among those killed, according to the Houston Chronicle.
The accident came just a few days after the 11th anniversary of a 2012 injury in which a major vein in his heart was torn in a collision during practice – an injury that took Hayden to the brink of death then.
Six people are dead and two others injured after a car sped through a red light in downtown Houston early this morning, police say. https://t.co/I64fTSkK6C
— KHOU 11 News Houston (@KHOU) November 11, 2023
According to the Chronicle, three former University of Houston teammates were with Hayden. Zach McMillan and Ralph Oragwu were both killed as was another college teammate whose name was not released.
The crash took place when a Chrysler 300 slammed into an Acura SUV in which Hayden and his friends were riding at around 2 a.m., Houston Police Assistant Chief Megan Howard said, according to NBC.
The Chrysler allegedly ran a red light.
RIP DJ Hayden. Way too young but he was needed elsewhere. pic.twitter.com/a09LMYVfMe
— Draven von Lycanthrope (@CryptidAnalysis) November 11, 2023
The Chrysler “appears to be going very fast, high velocity,” Howard said.
The driver of the Chrysler is dead, she said.
Two people were injured, one with life-threatening injuries, Howard said.
Police said one victim was a homeless man, according to KTRK-TV.
“Literally, it sounded like two trains crashing together. I can still hear the sound in my head. It’s nerve-wracking,” a man who said he was also homeless and was a friend of the dead homeless man, said.
“I was right next to him. I just had something in my gut telling me to get up, and I got up. But it could have been me,” he said.
RIP DJ Hayden. Way too young but he was needed elsewhere. pic.twitter.com/a09LMYVfMe
— Draven von Lycanthrope (@CryptidAnalysis) November 11, 2023
Hayden played nine seasons in the NFL, according to the Chronicle. He played four years with the Raiders then went on to the Detroit Lions, Jacksonville Jaguars and Washington Commanders. His last NFL season was 2021.
“I came a long way,” Hayden said after being drafted in 2013, according to the Chronicle. “For me to be here right now is just a blessing.”
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