Unfortunately, there’s once again extremely sad and heartbreaking news to post on regarding a member of the Alabama football program.
Rumors had been circulating all morning that Tide offensive lineman Aaron Douglas had passed away either late last night or early this morning. Tragically, that’s turned out to be the case.
According to the Knoxville News Sentinel, Douglas was found dead late Wednesday night in Jacksonville, Fla. He was just 21 years old.
Douglas’ former high school coach confirmed the news to the paper.
“Yes he is dead I cannot talk right now but am deeply saddened by this tragedy,” Maryville (Tenn.) coach George Quarles texted the paper.
Former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy also addressed his death via Twitter. “RIP Aaron Douglas. Enjoyed what little time I spent with you and I know you will be watching over us,” McElroy tweeted.
Subsequent to the initial reports, the school confirmed Douglas’ passing via a press release containing a statement from head coach Nick Saban.
“It is a tragedy anytime you lose someone close to you and even more so when it is a member of your family,” said Saban. “Aaron was a part of our family and always will be a part of our family at Alabama. He was an outstanding young man and we were excited about what he had accomplished as a player and a person in the short time he was with us.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to his parents, David and Karla, who are two of the best people you will ever meet and the love they had for their son was something very special. As a father, there is nothing we can say to describe the loss of a son. Our Alabama family has sustained a tragic loss and the Alabama family is grieving that loss. We will be here to support Aaron’s family in any way we can.”
The cause of death is not yet known. There is speculation making the rounds as to how Douglas passed, but we won’t post the specifics here until there’s been some type of confirmation.
Douglas was a freshman All-American at Tennessee in 2009, but decided to leave the program in March of 2010. After spending a year at the JUCO level, Douglas signed with Alabama and was competing for a starting spot this past spring.
Our thoughts, prayers and condolences go out to anyone affected by Douglas’ passing. Again, he was just 21 years old. Damn...