Rondale Moore’s Former Teammate Says He Spoke with the Athlete Hours Before His Death

NEED TO KNOW

• Rondale Moore’s former Cardinals teammate, Hollywood Brown, said he spoke with the late athlete hours before his death
• “Bro ain’t no way brotha you just messaged me few hours ago,” Brown, who now plays for the Kansas City Chiefs, said
  
• Moore's body was found on Feb. 21 in a garage in New Albany, Ind., the town where the Minnesota Vikings athlete was born and raised, from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound

Rondale Moore's former teammate, Hollywood Brown, said he messaged the athlete shortly before his death. 

“Bro ain’t no way brotha you just messaged me few hours ago😢,” Brown, 28, wrote on X, hours after the news broke that the Minnesota Vikings wide receiver died at age 25.

Moore's former Cardinals teammate continued, "You wasn’t alone bro.. I told you I know how you feel.”

Brown, who now plays as a wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs, also said Moore responded to a message he shared on his Instagram Stories that same day. 

In his message, Brown wrote, “Ppl really believe if you got money you don’t go through anything and have no problems, that s--- be really crazy to me like dam god forbid a n---- going through it bout anything."

Resharing that message, the athlete added, "I posted this to my [close friends] cause I know me and all my bros go through the same stuff it’s just crazy yo ppl don’t realize this until someone gone.”

In a following post, Brown shared a screenshot of the response Moore sent him, responding to his initial Instagram Stories post.

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“The fact you just commented under this a few hours ago hurt even more😢😢,” Brown wrote over the screenshot. “You could of called me dawg.”

Brown also shared a throwback photo of himself and Moore on the field together, writing, “Get some peace🕊️🤞🏿.”

“Jesus Christ is and will always be the answer🙏🏿🙏🏿,” he added. “Pray pray and pray some more.”

Later, Brown shared a screenshot of a text exchange between the two athletes from Aug. 11. In it, Brown sent an encouraging message to Moore after he suffered a season-ending knee injury. 

“Praying for you brother … sometimes in life when stuff don’t go as planned as frustrating as it may be have to always remember God is in control, his plan will always prevail all we can do is trust him and always remember someone has it worse,” he wrote in the text exchange. “I’m here if you ever need to talk bro I know how s--- feels it sucks dawg but knowing you, you built for this don’t give up.”

Brown added over the screenshot, “I always wanted to speak life into In you because I knew you were great … Even when I would send these messages I would be talking to myself to because I knew we both was dealing with injuries.”

New Albany Police Chief Todd Bailey told multiple local media outlets, including WHAS, WAVE and the Minnesota Star Tribune, that Moore's body was found on Feb. 21 in a garage in New Albany, Ind., the town where the athlete was born and raised. 

He said Moore died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The Floyd County, Ind., coroner confirmed to The New York Times that Moore's death was under investigation, and that an autopsy has been scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 22.

Following Moore's death, the Vikings penned a tribute to the late player, who signed with the team for the 2025 season.

"We are deeply saddened by the passing of Rondale Moore,” the NFL team wrote in a social media statement. "While we are working to understand the facts, we have spoken with Rondale’s family to offer our condolences and the full support of the Minnesota Vikings.”

“We have also been in communication with our players, coaches and staff, and will make counseling and emotional support resources available to anyone in need," the statement continued. "Our thoughts are with Rondale’s family and friends during this devastating time."

If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

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