David Patten, a three-time Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots, was killed in a motorcycle crash, his family announced Friday.
On Thursday, a motorcycle driver, identified by a coroner as Patten, 47, crossed the median while driving outside Columbia, South Carolina, causing a crash involving two other cars, South Carolina Highway Patrol told ESPN. One of the other motorists was transported to a hospital with undisclosed injuries, and the crash remains under investigation, the report added.
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The family of Patten, who played for four teams in the National Football League as a wide receiver, is “heartbroken” by the loss of the athlete, representative Sam Gordon said.
“If there is one thing I want people to know about David, it’s that as great a player he was, he was a better man,” Gordon told the outlet.
Robert Kraft, the chairman and CEO of the Patriots, and Bill Belichick, the team’s head coach, mourned Patten’s death and praised his contributions to the team.
“Our sincerest sympathies are with his wife, Galiena, his family and all who are mourning David’s tragic and untimely death,” Kraft wrote.
On Oct. 21, 2001, Patten was on the receiving end of the second-longest pass play in Patriots history, a 91-yard touchdown reception from Tom Brady. In that game, Patten became the sixth player since 1960, and the first since Walter Payton in 1979, to rush for a touchdown, catch a touchdown pass, and pass for a touchdown in the same game, according to the Patriots.
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Patten played for the New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, and Washington Football Team before he retired in July 2010.
Representatives for South Carolina Highway Patrol did not immediately respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
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Tags: News, NFL, New England Patriots, Football
Original Author: Asher Notheis
Original Location: Three-time Super Bowl winner David Patten killed in motorcycle crash