What was Vontae Davis’, brother of Vernon Davis, cause of death?

On April 1, 2024, Vontae Davis, the younger brother of NFL star Vernon Davis, was found unresponsive at his Florida residence. The news left the NFL community reeling and searching for answers about the untimely passing of the 35-year-old former cornerback.

Vontae appeared in 121 games. His professional journey began when the Miami Dolphins selected him as the 25th overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. His dedication earned him two Pro Bowl selections during his tenure with the Indianapolis Colts from 2012 to 2017. Throughout his career, he recorded an impressive 22 interceptions and defended 97 passes.

However, Vontae surprised everyone in 2018 when he abruptly retired from the Buffalo Bills at halftime during a game against the Los Angeles Chargers. He later explained that he realized he “shouldn’t be out there anymore” and that his physical condition was not up to par. Davis had dealt with various injuries over his 10-year NFL career, including concussions, a broken wrist, and hamstring/knee/foot sprains. He had missed 11 games the previous season due to a lingering groin injury.

In the years following his retirement, Vontae faced several legal challenges. He went through a divorce and was involved in a $1 million lawsuit stemming from a February 2023 DUI crash. Reports indicate that he crashed his Tesla into a parked truck and was later found asleep beside the road. Despite these difficulties, Vontae was actively working on new projects. He started a luxury chauffeur service and had been working on a TV documentary that chronicled how he and his brother Vernon would become successful football players.

A mysterious death

As per investigations, on the day he was found, there were no signs of foul play at his home, a secure $4 mansion nestled among the residences of celebrities like Gisele Bundchen and Dwayne Johnson. Speculation about the cause of Vontae’s death has been fueled by various factors, including his ex-wife Megan Harpe’s suggestion to the Daily Mail that he may have been suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). CTE is a progressive neurodegenerative disease linked to repeated head trauma, which has been found in the brains of numerous deceased football players. According to a 2023 report by the Boston University CTE Center, 345 of 376 deceased NFL players (92%) whose brains were autopsied were found to have CTE.

Symptoms of CTE can include memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, impulse control problems, aggression, depression, and dementia. However, CTE can only be definitively diagnosed through a postmortem examination of the brain. Vernon Davis, while not ruling out the possibility of CTE, emphasized in an interview with Daily Mail that there were still many unanswered questions surrounding his brother’s death. He noted that Vontae had never shown any history of drug use and was actively engaged in self-care, with a massage therapist, stretch therapist, and chiropractor visiting his home regularly. Vernon also mentioned that although Vontae had attention-deficit disorder, he had never spoken about any brain injuries.

“Maybe that’s the case, maybe it’s not. We don’t really have an answer to that because there is no way to see into our brain while we live.”

Despite the tragic circumstances, Vernon expressed immense pride in his brother’s accomplishments. He reflected on their challenging upbringing in a tough Washington, D.C. neighborhood, where their mother struggled with drug addiction and their father battled alcoholism. Vernon even witnessed his father being shot. Amid this turmoil, Vernon and Vontae became the “difference makers” in their family.