Former NFL wide receiver Mike Williams.Photo:Kellen Micah/ICON SMI/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty
Kellen Micah/ICON SMI/Corbis/Icon Sportswire via Getty
Former NFL wide receiverMike Williamshas died at age 36, his agent confirmed toESPNon Tuesday.
Williams died on Tuesday morning, according to the outlet.
The former Tampa Bay Buccaneer had been hospitalized in an intensive care unit in Tampa Bay, Fla., following an accident at a construction site that left him partially paralyzed.
According to theTampa Bay Times, who spoke with Tierney Lyle, the mother of Williams' 8-year-old daughter Mya, via text, he was taken off of his ventilator at St. Joseph’s Hospital on Thursday.
Williams' agent, Hadley Engelhard said, “He will be missed. He fought hard his whole life. Prayers to his family," per NFL Network’sIan Rappaport.
Mike Williams #19 of the Buffalo Bills.Tom Szczerbowski/Getty
Tom Szczerbowski/Getty
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers mourned the tragic loss in a statement on Tuesday.
The former NFL player “recently had a major accident at work” when “a steel beam fell on his head causing a massive head injury," his father Wendell Muhammad said via GoFundMe.
“As a result of this accident, there was swelling on his brain and swelling on his spinal cord that was ruptured,” his father said. “These injuries resulted in complete paralysis in his right arm as well as his lower body from the waist down.”
Last week, Williams' former Tampa Bay teammate Gerald McCoy reacted to the news of William’s accident. “Dang man hurts my heart seeing the news of my former teammate and Buccaneers 2010 draft class brother Mike Williams. Always great energy brought joy and laughter to the locker room and a heck of a player!! Prayers and blessings to his family!!”
Wide receiver Mike Williams #19 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.Michael DeHoog/Sports Imagery/Getty
Michael DeHoog/Sports Imagery/Getty
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.The wide receiver played five full seasons in the NFL before retiring in 2016 with the Kansas City Chiefs. He racked up 26 touchdowns and 3,089 receiving yards throughout his career.
source: people.com
