Former NFL player Chris Payton-Jones was killed in a horror car crash just weeks after welcoming a baby daughter, it has been revealed.
Payton-Jones, 30, was driving a sedan in Florida on Saturday when he collided head-on with a pickup truck, before his vehicle rolled over and erupted in flames.
The ex-cornerback was pronounced dead at the scene, while the truck’s three passengers received minor injuries.
Days on from his passing, Payton-Jones’ distraught sister has revealed he became a father three weeks before the fatal accident.
‘That was my brother, my only blood brother, same momma, same daddy,’ Clotea Jones told The US Sun. ‘I’m devastated. I’m hurt. My brother is gone. I cannot even cope with the pain.
‘He was excited about where he was in life, working with kids and the birth of his daughter.
Ex-NFL player Chris Payton-Jones died in a car crash weeks after welcoming a baby daughter
Payton-Jones, who also ran his own YouTube channel, was killed in the fatal crash on Saturday
‘His daughter was born three weeks before he passed. He was just excited about being a father.’
Payton-Jones appeared for the Detroit Lions, Arizona Cardinals, Tennessee Titans, Minnesota Vikings and Las Vegas Raiders between 2018 and 2022.
He ended his NFL career with 48 tackles and seven passes defended in 29 games.
The former Nebraska college star also featured for the XFL’s Seattle SeaDragons and the UFL’s St Louis Battlehawks from 2022 to 2024.
While still playing, he launched his YouTube channel, Flashflix, focused on local sports in his home town of Jacksonville.
After returning to Jacksonville Payton-Jones was frequently spotted on the sidelines at Sandalwood High School, where he emerged as a three-star prospect, during football games.
Adam Geis, who coached Payton-Jones at Sandalwood, told News4 that he was a special and genuine person with an elite work ethic.
He added: ‘He was one of my all-time favorites! The kid never missed a workout, never missed practice, and never wanted to come off the field. Everyone loved him.
The cornerback played for the Detroit Lions, Arizona Cardinals, Tennessee Titans, Minnesota Vikings and Las Vegas Raiders in his four-year NFL career
‘He was always unbelievably positive. I’ve never heard that kid ever say anything negative about anyone or anything. It was always a pleasure to be around him. You were always happy to see him.’
At Nebraska, Payton-Jones was an elite cornerback and was named All-Big Ten honorable mention in 2016.
He was not selected in the draft and was initially signed by the Lions but was cut by the end of training camp in 2018.
Payton-Jones was later picked up by the Cardinals and appeared in two games that season. In 2019, he played in 11 games, starting three.
He ultimately bounced around the league from 2020 to 2022, seeing the field in 16 more games before being pushed down to the practice squad.
He recently announced his retirement from football, thanking God for the opportunity to play at the highest level.