WHITE HALL, ARKANSAS: The compassionate nature of late NFL star Ryan Mallet, who died after drowning in Florida, has been laid bare by a grief-stricken mother of a murdered high school student. The 35-year-old former Arkansas quarterback was on a vacation with his girlfriend Madison Carter when he drowned offshore of Gulf Shore Drive in Destin, Florida on Tuesday, June 27.
Mallet’s tragic death came just one month after Ben Redix, who was mentored by him at White Hall, was shot and killed just days before his graduation on May 18. Redix’s mother Shaneisha Robinson recently reflected on her son’s bond with Mallet, revealing that he treated him like his own son. “I think he thought Ben was his son,” Robinson told KARK 4 News. Robinson also remembered that Mallett had been acting as her confidant in the months after her son was killed. 'Sometimes he would come over here crying or I'd go over there crying,' she expressed, before adding that the news was 'like somebody pouring alcohol on an open wound.'
Who was Ben Redix?
Robinson continued by saying that she had spoken to Mallett just before he left for vacation and that he had insisted she calls him if she needed anything. 'He said, "Little Bit, I’m going out of town." He said "I love you" and I said I love you too, bring me something back,' she said, adding “He wanted me to know he was there for me even though he would be out of town.” Madix's mother also shared a touching story about Mallett's loving nature and how he visited their home to assist the young boy. 'Ben didn’t want to go to practice one day, and he said, "Mama if a coach comes, tell him I’m sick." Ryan came and knocked on the door and I said he was in his room. So, he went in the room and said, "Boy get up and go to practice,’” Robinson said.
A star player at White Hall High School, Redix was shot and killed on May 18 in what police are calling an accidental shooting by 17-year-old Jamari Douglas in North Little Rock. The family said Redix had attended Star City High School’s graduation on the night he was killed. The next day, he would’ve received his diploma. Redix had even earned a scholarship to play for Southern Arkansas University after showcasing his electrifying plays on the football field in high school. “He went out a champion,” Robinson said at that time, adding “I know he is going to a better place, so I am content with it.”
How did Ryan Mallett die?
Mallet was pronounced dead at the Destin emergency room after being taken to the local hospital at around 2:00 pm. Okaloosa Sheriff's Department revealed that Mallett was with a group of people in the water when he drowned while struggling to make it back to shore. He was reportedly not breathing when lifeguards pulled him out. The office also confirmed that he did not die in a riptide as there was no current in the section of the Florida coastline where he was swimming. "Despite widespread media misinformation, yellow beach safety flags were flying at the time and there were no indications of any 'riptides,'" the sheriff's office said in a statement.
