org Six individuals perished early on Saturday morning in a car crash in Houston, including NFL cornerback D.J. Hayden, according to Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle. His age was thirty-three.
Zach McMillian, a former defensive back for the University of Houston, was also slain in the incident.
After attending Navarro College for his first two years of college, Hayden moved to Houston in 2011–12 and was selected by the Raiders in the first round of the 2013 draft. Following a collision with another player during practice in his senior year of college, Hayden developed a potentially fatal cardiac condition.
During his nine-year NFL career, Hayden played with the Raiders for the first four of those years. He also played for the Lions, Jaguars, and Washington. Hayden recorded 328 tackles, 4 1/2 sacks, and four interceptions in 92 games overall. In 2021, he concluded his league career.
From 2010 to 2013, McMillian was a defensive back for Houston, where he played four years and recorded eleven interceptions. He first worked for a Houston-based construction company after graduating, and most recently, he was the COO of MLZ Holdings Inc.
The Raiders issued a formal statement regarding Hayden’s untimely death on Saturday afternoon.
