The widow of late NFL player Jordan Devey emotionally opened up on the painful moment she had to inform their son of his father’s death. 

The former Super Bowl champion died by suicide in July at the age of 38. His wife, Linsey, shared the news in an emotional Instagram tribute posted on what would have been the couple’s 15th wedding anniversary.

The couple shared four children, son Cash, 11, and daughters MJ, 8, Winnie, 4, and Stevie, 2.

Almost three months on from his passing, Linsey recalled candidly telling Cash, their eldest child, about the former football player’s death.

‘The day I told Cash his dad had gone home to Heaven, his world shattered,’ Linsey shared on Instagram. ‘He ran outside and let out a scream that no 11-year-old should ever have to carry.’

Linsey shared that Cash then returned inside with a gut-wrenching plea for his mother.  

The widow of late NFL player Jordan Devey emotionally opened up on the painful moment she had to inform their son of his father’s death earlier this year

Former NFL star and Super Bowl champion Devey died by suicide at the age of 38 in July 

‘He wiped his tears, walked back to me, and with a strength I know came from Christ, said, ‘Mom, we can do this together. Don’t take your own life,’ she wrote. ‘In the middle of his deepest grief, he reminded me that we would not face it alone. I will never forget those words.’

Linsey said her son has ‘always carried this quiet instinct to protect our family.’

‘He feels everything so deeply, but he rarely lets you see it because he thinks his job is to be strong for me…just like his dad,’ she wrote. ‘He has Jordan’s heart. The same kindness. The same compassion. The same spiritual strength that made so many people feel safe.’

She said that one of the hardest moments of Devey’s passing was watching her son hold his dad’s hand for the final time. 

‘In that moment, he didn’t just lose his father,’ she explained. ‘He lost his best friend, his mentor, and the coach who taught him how to love, lead, and believe.’

Shortly after his death, Devey’s parents shared that they believed that he suffered from a degenerative brain disease before he took his own life.

‘We believe that he possibly suffered from CTE,’ Leslie Devey, Jordan’s mom, told Salt Lake City’s Fox 13.

Jordan’s parents did not blame football entirely for the tragedy, but Leslie did admit she feels the game is ‘partly why he’s not with us any longer.’

Devey’s wife, Linsey, announced his passing in an emotional Instagram tribute this summer

Devey’s parents Leslie and Kerry (right) urged families to take mental health seriously 

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, can only be diagnosed posthumously. But while the degenerative brain disease has been found in a number of former NFL players who died by suicide, the manner of Jordan’s death prevents any such testing.

‘Because of the condition of what happened with his death,’ Jordan’s father, Kerry, told Fox 13, ‘we’re not going to be able to test for that and have a definitive answer.’

Kerry did not elaborate on the manner of his 38-year-old son’s suicide and no further information has been revealed.

Jordan’s parents admitted they’re facing ‘what-ifs’ about their son’s NFL career and his later troubles with mental health issues.

‘What if we’d have done something differently?’ Kerry asked, rhetorically. ‘What if we could’ve seen these signs?’

Most importantly, his mother Leslie encouraged anyone dealing with mental health issues to reach out for help.

‘We want people to understand that it’s okay to reach out,’ Leslie said. ‘That help is there – and there’s nothing wrong with you for reaching out. You’re not fighting the battle alone.’

‘You think you’re strong until something like this happens…and it brings you to your knees,’ Kerry added.

Linsey shared this picture of Devey at the hospital along with her touching tribute 

Jordan had been out of the NFL since 2020. Following his playing career, he transitioned into coaching, most recently serving as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Eagle High School in Idaho.

Community members remembered Devey as a devoted mentor and faithful volunteer who spent countless hours coaching youth sports and serving in his local church.

He was deeply loved by his players at Eagle High, who saw the former NFL lineman as a trusted mentor, role model and friend.

Jordan, who went undrafted out of Memphis in 2013, spent eight seasons in the NFL, playing for the Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders and Buffalo Bills before retiring in 2021.

Over the course of his professional career, he appeared in 44 regular-season games and made 21 starts across stints with the Patriots, 49ers, Chiefs and Raiders.

Before reaching the NFL, Jordan took a remarkably unconventional path to professional sports, playing tuba in his high school marching band after Osgood-Schlatter disease prevented him from playing high school football.

He later served a two-year mission in Costa Rica for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints before walking on at Snow College and eventually transferring to Memphis, where he earned second-team All-C-USA honors.

Jordan earned a Super Bowl ring with the Patriots during the 2014 season, appearing in six regular-season games during New England’s championship run.

If you or someone you know needs help, please call or text the confidential 24/7 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US on 988. There is also an online chat available at 988lifeline.org.