MAY 31: The Dallas County Sheriff’s Department later confirmed a woman, Andrea Mercedes Palacios, died in the accident. Palacios was 26. Gladney’s girlfriend, Palacios was with him in a white vehicle that was found overturned Monday morning, ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss reports. The vehicle was believed to be speeding; it lost control after hitting another vehicle in front of it and colliding with a beam on Woodall Rogers Freeway in Dallas. The two passengers in the other vehicle were not injured.
MAY 30: Cornerback Jeff Gladney, a former first-round pick who had recently signed with the Cardinals, was killed in a car accident early Monday morning in the Dallas area, Clarence Hill and Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram report. The accident occurred at around 2:30am, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer (on Twitter). Gladney was 25.
Minnesota drafted Gladney 31st overall in 2020, 10 spots after former TCU teammate Jalen Reagor went off the board. The Eagles wide receiver made several tweets mourning Gladney’s loss Monday.
Gladney did not play in the NFL last season, with a felony family violence assault charge leading the Vikings to waive him in August 2021. After being acquitted of the charge in March, Gladney signed a two-year deal worth $6.5MM with the Cardinals.
“We are devastated to learn of Jeff Gladney’s passing,” the Cardinals said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to his family, friends and all who are mourning this tremendous loss.”
Gladney made 42 starts at TCU and finished the 2019 season eighth in Division I-FBS with 14 pass breakups. That helped garner the New Boston, Texas, native first-team All-Big 12 honors as a senior. Gladney, who was at TCU for five years, intercepted five passes during his college career.
The 5-foot-10 defender became an immediate starter for the Vikings, who used the rookie on 89% of their defensive snaps during the 2020 season. Making 15 starts for a Vikings defense that encountered numerous injury problems, Gladney made 83 tackles as a rookie. He was set to be a key part of the Cardinals’ secondary in 2022.
Was it DUI related? Always sad when someone so young dies.
A 25 year old man lost his life. I’m not ignorant to the why behind the question, but it’s definitely not the right time to ask that. RIP
Not wrong to ask a question. Grow a thicker skin charmin
at this time, yeah, it is. how about you grow a sense of compassion?
How about you grow a pair of balls?
Why is it a question worth immediately asking, mindless?
Is it “wrong to ask a question”? Not usually. Is it wrong that this is apparently the first thought you have instead of feeling sorrow that a young man died… and on Memorial Day to boot? Yeah, to me and apparently to others, that’s wrong.
And it’s wrong when you’re obviously fishing for a reason to believe a person dying at 25 was his fault or in some way just.
For the record,
I never asked if he was driving drunk. Just wondering if it was a DUI related accident……which could be his fault or another driver’s fault. There’s no other details other than it happened at 2:30am.
Me asking if it’s DUI related doesn’t mean the young man deserved to die. You all got your panties in a bunch for no reason to be quite honest.
Asking and wanting to know the circumstances behind a life lost isn’t abnormal and doesn’t mean he deserved to die if he was driving impaired…..but that’s not what I was insinuating. I was wondering if he was hit by a drunk driver.
At a bare minimum, it means you have weird social skills.
Doesn’t mean that at all. But go on being rude and assuming things about people.
Right out of the gate first comment. That lacks common sense. How about you wait for information to come out. Does it even matter if it did. One way or the other he is no longer with us.
It lacks common sense to wonder or ask if he was hit by a drunk driver at 2:30am in the morning, then say its sad when someone so you g loses their life? How?
It lacks the most basic tact or grace for the very first comment on a 25 year old dying to be curiosity as to whether there was a crime involved. And that’s without any reading into why you would ask. It’s gross.
Oh so if it was the second or third comment it’d be fine. Just not the first post.
You seem very much obsessed with the first part you completely ignore the second part. But hey you all do you. If you got nothing else better to do with your lives. Carry on.
No also killed the passenger. A female
Its a very reasonable question. We asked the samething when Haskins died and turns out he was really drunk. Its doesn’t hurt to ask. Most of the time if a professional player is out at 2:30 am, then usually drugs, alcohol or some other sort of criminal action is involved.
yeah, no one could be out at 2:30 AM for any other reason…
Your don’t know to weeks later. We just learned about the alcohol with Haskins
Haskins was making a lot of wrong choices from the moment he was drafted. One still hopes a young talented person (Haskins in this case) will smarten up before he loses his career or worse his life.
Speaking of wrong choices, Patrick Mahomes looked partied-out to me in at least three or four games last season. Not a good look for someone pulling down $50 million/year. Joe Namath used to do it in the seventies, so Mahomes isn’t the first. If he doesn’t slow down the pace, that half a billion dollar contract will turn into a very poor investment by Kansas City.
Your hoping haskins smarten up or learns before too late? Your a little late.
Oh my, perhaps he hadn’t heard.
Of course it’s too late for Haskins – “worse his life”.
holy f*** you guys are really having a full-on debate with insults rn when the guy just died. All of you need to shut up lol.
so sad
Condolences to the Gladney family. So young, so sad and he had such a bright future ahead of him.
My deepest condolences to his friends and family. It’s always especially sad to see someone pass so young.
he seemed like a reeeeally good guy from all accounts….
lol
He’s was definitely worth having on this planet over someone that talks crap about someone they only read about on the internet. You loser get a life. You dont deserve the name Goku anywhere near you.
Wasn’t an insensitive question to ask. When I was in the army and things like this happen that’s the first question once death is confirmed. And if read jalen raegors tweets his language gives the hint it was avoidable. Once again rest in peace to the young brother but some of us go out young and to see life cut short is sad.
A young lady lost her life because of him
Very sad anyone young loses their life.
Ban all automobiles
I wonder who at PFR decides when to allow comments on articles and when not to? Seems pretty random…
It is totally normal and okay to ask if alcohol was involved. A public figure and a young athlete, who was out of football last year because of being accused of domestic abuse, dies at 2:30am on the interstate from hitting a pole. 99% of us read the report and instantly wondered “was he drunk”. It’s obvious though, some of us just don’t have the cojones to admit it. Pro athletes are public figures and will always be judged by the public. That’s the trade off for being rich and famous.
All you sensitive Nancies just grow a sack and go back to cleaning the kitchen and making dinner.