Former NFL Linebacker Geno Hayes Dead at 33

Former NFL linebacker Geno Hayes died Monday (April 26) at the young age of 33.

He was in hospice care prior to his death, and spoke about his disease earlier this year in an interview. His official cause of death is liver disease.

Click inside to find out the tragic details…

“The first diagnosis they gave me was alcoholic cirrhosis. But when we dug in deeper, it became just chronic liver disease, because I don’t drink like that,” Geno told ESPN. “If I did drink, it was just like wine or something like that. But my body is made different. And that’s what [my doctor] said — ‘Everybody’s made different.’”

Geno had been placed on a waiting list for a transplant back in December of 2020. “I went from 220 [pounds] to 150,” he said. “That was when I was first diagnosed.”

He blamed non prescription pain medicine on his condition, saying, “I just took [NSAIDs],” he said. “I thought it was safer. But once I got out and started doing research, I was like, ‘Oh … my body is not set up for this.’”

“At first, I didn’t let my kids come around when I was in the hospital,” he said, talking of his young kids, ages 13 and 8, with wife Shevelle. “Over time we eased into them knowing about me, and now they know how to handle things.”

Before his death, he added, “I’m enjoying life, I’m spending more time with my kids and I really want to help people. My main goal is to just inspire, to inspire the next person, no matter what they’re going through, no matter who talks bad about them — family, friends, social media, all of that crap — it don’t matter. You take care of you. Make sure you’re straight. That’s all I want to do.”

Geno played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Chicago Bears, and Florida State. Our thoughts are with his friends, family, and loved ones during this time.