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Former NFL receiver Reche Caldwell has reportedly died after being shot in Tampa, Florida, according to TMZ Sports.
The 41-year-old was on a date Saturday night with his girlfriend, who said the couple was “ambushed” by multiple people trying to rob him. He was reportedly shot in the chest and leg and died in the ambulance on the way to the hospital.
There are currently no reports of an arrest regarding this incident.
“He was a good person who smiled all of the time,” his mother, Deborah Caldwell, told TMZ. “He tried to help everyone he could. He was the type of guy who would take his shirt off his back and give it to you.”
Caldwell was a second-round pick in the 2002 draft out of Florida and spent six years in the NFL with the Chargers, Patriots and Redskins. He totaled 152 career catches and was at his best during his lone season in New England. The wideout led the 2006 Patriots with 61 catches and 760 receiving yards, becoming a go-to option for a team that reached the AFC Championship Game.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick issued a statement on Caldwell’s death:
After spending the 2007 season with the Redskins, he retired from the NFL.
His brother, Andre Caldwell, spent eight years in the league and won a Super Bowl with the Denver Broncos.
