Baltimore Ravens cornerback Tray Walker has passed away after suffering serious head trauma in a motorcycle accident on Thursday. Walker was hospitalized on Thursday evening, and was unresponsive and in critical condition throughout the day. He died at 5 p.m. ET on Friday, according to agent Ron Butler, via Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
Walker, 23, was reportedly riding a dirt bike without lights and did not have a helmet on when he collided with an SUV on Thursday evening. There was reportedly another player riding with Walker but he has not been identified, though police indicated that they were looking for a New England Patriots player.
The accident took place in the intersection of a two-way stop, and police said that the driver of the other vehicle stayed on the scene and was cooperative.
Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco released a statement after Walker's passing:
Joe Flacco: 'Tray was a young man who was full of energy and promise. This is very hard to wrap my head around, and I am devastated.'
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) March 19, 2016
Head coach John Harbaugh also had plenty to say, calling Walker a "young man with a good and kin heart."
"He was humble and loved everything about being part of the Ravens' team," Harbaugh said. "He loved his teammates, the practice and the preparation, and that showed every day. He was coachable, did his most to improve and worked to become the best. I'll never forget that smile."
"Tray was one of the most humble persons we brought in for a pre-draft visit," general manager Ozzie Newsome said. "That was striking. After we drafted him, he and his family were so excited to receive the call that he was about to become a Raven. It as one of the calls I will always remember. There was such joy for Tray and his family."
Walker was a fourth-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. He spent most of his rookie season contributing on special teams, playing in eight games over the course of the year. He played collegiate ball at Texas Southern and was the highest player drafted from the university in more than two decades.