Jessie Lemonier, an outside linebacker who played seven games for the Detroit Lions in 2021 and sacked Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers, has died. He was 25. The Lions announced his death in a statement Thursday, saying they had confirmed it with his family. They didn’t give any details. “Jessie was a model teammate and a wonderful young man who is gone far too soon,” a Lions spokesperson stated. During this terrible time, we are thinking of and praying for his family and friends.
Lemonier was signed to the Lions practice squad before the 2022 season, days before being released by the Los Angeles Chargers. He had 17 tackles and 1 1/2 sacks, with the other half coming against Arizona on Dec. 19, 2021.
Liberty University, where Lemonier played for two seasons, said it also saw the Lions statement on Twitter. It later got a call from its former coach and current Auburn coach Hugh Freeze about the player’s death.
“The Liberty Athletics family is deeply saddened to learn about the passing of former Flames football great Jessie Lemonier,” the Lynchburg, Virginia, school said in a statement. “Jessie was loved by Flames Nation for being a fierce competitor on the gridiron and cherished by his coaches and teammates in the locker room.”
Lemonier was selected by the Arlington Renegades in the 2023 XFL Draft but opted to stay with the USFL.
