Former Nfl Cornerback Chris Payton-jones Dies At 30: ‘everyone Loved Him’

Former NFL cornerback Chris Payton-Jones died successful a car mishap Saturday nighttime successful Florida. He was 30.

Payton-Jones was driving a sedan eastbound successful nan westbound lanes of State Road 24 successful Gainesville erstwhile his conveyance collided head-on pinch a pickup truck, according to News 4 Jacksonville. The 3 group successful nan motortruck sustained only insignificant injuries.

Payton-Jones’s car overturned and burst into flames. He was pronounced dormant astatine nan scene.

Payton-Jones, a autochthonal of nan Jacksonville area, was known arsenic Chris Jones erstwhile he played assemblage shot astatine Nebraska from 2014-17. Unselected successful nan 2018 NFL draft, he went connected to look successful 29 regular-season games pinch nan Arizona Cardinals, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings and Tennessee Titans from 2018-21. He later moved connected to nan Seattle Sea Dragons of nan XFL successful 2023, and spent nan past 2 seasons pinch nan St Louis Battlehawks of nan UFL.

“The kid ne'er missed a workout, ne'er missed practice, and ne'er wanted to travel disconnected nan field. Everyone loved him,” his precocious schoolhouse shot coach, Ada Geis, told News 4 Jacksonville. “He was ever unbelievably positive. I’ve ne'er heard that kid ever opportunity thing antagonistic astir anyone aliases anything. … It was ever a pleasance to beryllium astir him. You were ever happy to spot him.”

Payton-Jones retired successful January and made his broadside business of contented creation a full-time job. His video content, chiefly sports-related, has much than 1m views connected his YouTube site, Flashflix. He was besides a keen mentor of young videographers looking to find their measurement into sports media.