Jalen Reagor Mourns Death of "Right Hand Man" Jeff Gladney
For the second straight offseason, Jalen Reagor will mourn the passing of a close friend after it was learned that his former teammate at Texas Christian University, Jeff Gladney, was killed in a car accident in the early hours of Monday morning.
Reagor and Gladney were both first-round draft picks in 2020, with Reagor going 21st overall to the Eagles and Gladney getting picked 31st overall by the Minnesota Vikings.
“Lost my Brother, my best friend, my right hand man… ain’t too much more I can take,” Reagor wrote on Twitter. “R.I.P Jeff Gladney, brother watch over me please.”
A 26-year-old female passenger in the vehicle is also believed to have died in the accident that happened in the Dallas area.
Last year, one of Reagor’s childhood friends was killed. The death caused Reagor to miss the first three days of training camp. He also struggled with some lower body tightness when he returned.
“That was like a little brother to me,” said Reagor last August. “It was hard to deal with...It’s hard to deal with, but in the mental state, I’m doing way better.”
Reagor did not attend the funeral last August and, instead, participated in his first full practice of that day.
As for Gladney, it’s likely that he and Reagor spent time going one-on-one against each other during TCU’s practices since Gladney was a cornerback.
Gladney joined TCU as a three-star prospect out of New Boston in 2015. He developed into a shutdown cornerback for the Frogs, finishing his college career with 43 passes defended, five interceptions, and six tackles for loss.
Jeff Gladney
USA Today
The Vikings released him in April 2021 after he was indicted over allegations he had assaulted his girlfriend. He was found not guilty on those charges and this past March was signed by the Arizona Cardinals.
Reagor is expected to enter his third season with the Eagles despite trade rumors that have swirled since the offseason.
Gladney is the second young NFL player to die in a traffic incident this year. In April, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwyane Haskins was struck and killed by a truck after his car ran out of gas and he exited the vehicle on a freeway.
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Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglesmaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
