Body camera footage has revealed the desperate efforts to save NFL star Ryan Mallett, as officials say that rip tides weren’t to blame for the 35-year-old’s drowning.
Local authorities released bodycam footage on Wednesday showing an officer rushing to the scene on a beach where Mr Mallett was discovered after swimming in the Gulf of Mexico on the coast of the Florida panhandle on Tuesday afternoon, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said.
Sheriff Eric Aden said in a statement on Wednesday that “the tragic loss of life, it’s always difficult when we lose a tourist or resident here, but we have no indication here of any dangerous conditions out there”.
“The entire Okaloosa County, as well as Destin, we’re not under red flags or double red flags despite some of the misperceptions out there,” he added.
“We were under a yellow flag, which is just swim with caution,” he said. “It just seems to be a tragic accident and not something to do with the conditions of the surf or tides or currents.”
The quarterback from Arkansas started having problems while attempting to swim to a sandbar around 150 feet (46 metres) from the beach close to Gulf Shores Drive at about 2.15pm, law enforcement said in a statement.
As he went under the surface, lifeguards rushed to his aid, but when he was removed from the water, he was no longer breathing. He was later pronounced dead at a hospital in the area.
The bodycam footage shows an officer running to the scene as bystanders look on.
“I think they got him on the board now,” another officer tells him when he arrives. Further footage showed a number of emergency vehicles responding to the area.
Mr Malett spent five seasons in the NFL, playing for the New England Patriots, the Houston Texans, and the Baltimore Ravens, the New York Post noted.
In college, he spent one year at the University of Michigan before moving on to the University of Arkansas.
The former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr told the AP on Wednesday that “he lived with great enthusiasm and he could really throw the ball with incredible arm strength”.
“By the time he was a senior at Arkansas, he was physically mature,” he added. “You don’t see many guys like him.”
Mr Mallett was a football coach at White Hall High School in Arkansas when he passed away.
“It is with great sadness that we share the loss of Coach Ryan Mallett,” the school said. “Coach Mallett was a beloved coach and educator. We ask that you remember his family, team, students, fellow coaches, and the White Hall School District staff in your prayers.”
