Authorities Release Bodycam Footage and Reveal New Details of Former NFL Star Ryan Mallett’s Death

Dramatic body cam footage released yesterday has shed some light on the circumstances surrounding Tuesday’s tragic drowning death of former NFL quarterback Ryan Mallett.

The accident occurred in Destin, the Florida Panhandle destination that's currently weathering strong rip currents from the Gulf of Mexico, leading to 11 fatalities in the area in the past two weeks. Despite these conditions, authorities say Mallett’s death had nothing to do with present riptide conditions.

“It just seems to be just a tragic accident, and not anything to do with the surfs or tides or the currents,” Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Alden said in a taped statement yesterday.

Former New England Patriot Mallett was swimming with a group of people on Tuesday afternoon about 150 feet from the shore. When spectators on the beach realized the group seemed to be struggling to get back to land, authorities were called and lifeguards immediately intervened.

Terrifying body cam footage published by the New York Post details the moment police arrived on the scene. An officer sprints through a crowd gathered on the beach who are looking out into the water at the unfolding scene. Another officer informs the first, “I think they got him on the board now,” referring to Mallett, as he gestures off-screen into the ocean.

The footage was recorded near what Fox News has dubbed the “deadliest beach in America." This past Saturday alone saw the deaths of three tourists at Panama City Beach, a popular nearby city. Though the deaths are technically listed as “fatal water incidents” due to officials being unsure whether drowning or unrelated medical incidents were to blame, rip current deaths have been increasing lately. In the first half of 2023, 60 deaths (27 of them in Florida) have been attributed to rip currents, which include high surf and sneaker waves. In 2022, a total of 69 riptide related deaths were reported for the entire year.

On Thursday, Tom Brady took to Instagram to commemorate his former teammate Mallett. "We lost a great man. Thank you for everything, Ryan," Brady wrote accompanying a picture of the two men on the field.