Posted on 02/21/2026 11:21:31 PM PST by nickcarraway
The Floyd County coroner confirmed 25-year-old Rondale Moore died Saturday.
New Albany Police Department Chief Todd Bailey said officers are conducting a death investigation at a home in the 1600 block of Ekin Avenue.
According to investigators, Moore was found dead in a garage at the property from what is believed to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Bailey said the investigation remains ongoing, and no additional details will be released at this time.
The coroner said an autopsy has been scheduled.
A look at Moore's career
A three-sport athlete in high school, Moore spent his playing days at New Albany High School, where he helped guide the Bulldogs to a basketball state championship before he transferred to Trinity and helped the Shamrocks win the 2016 Class 6A football state title.
After high school, the 2017 Gatorade Kentucky Player of the Year and Paul Hornung Award recipient went on to play for another Trinity alum, then head coach Jeff Brohm at Purdue.
Brohm released a statement to WLKY following Moore's death, "Rondale Moore was a complete joy to coach. The ultimate competitor that would never back down to any challenge. Rondale has a work ethic that was unmatched by anyone. A great teammate that would come through in any situation. we all loved Rondale and we loved his smile and competitive edge that always wanted to please everyone he came in contact with. We offer all of our thoughts and prayers to Rondale and his family and we love him very much!!!"
An All-American at Purdue, Moore played a significant role in the Boilermakers' win over Ohio State, which helped put Brohm on the college football coaching map. Moore had 12 receptions for 170 yards (both season-highs) and two touchdowns against the No. 2 Buckeyes on October 20th, 2018.
Drafted by Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, Moore played three seasons for the Cardinals (2021-23). He was traded to the Atlanta Falcons, but missed the entire 2024 season due to an injury during training camp. In 2025, he signed with the Minnesota Vikings. Moore suffered multiple injuries in the NFL, the most recent a season-ending knee injury during the Vikings' 2025 preseason opener.
That's pretty disheartening. I wonder if he felt he was jinxed or something.
Going from a NFL player to a Walmart Stockboy would be quite a let down.
He earned a degree in “selling and Sales management”.Takes 4 years in college to learn that? At Purdue?
College can be a racket and a scam.
Poor kid....was it concomitant depression, loss of career and income due to injury? Did drugs, alcohol play a role?
Probably two, in reaction to one.
An actual diploma, even in an “easy” major, is a lot more than most pro football/basketball athletes end up with after their time in college.
Sounds like his injury rehab may not have been going well and came to the realization that his NFL career may have been over.
That’s a huge psychological blow to a young athlete still in their prime.
It’s a much smaller scale, but I saw it firsthand with my son.
His plans to play basketball in college (D3) were cut short by a combination of covid and a coaching change.
He was devastated, and for someone in their late teens like my son at the time or 20’s like this young man to have something that was such a part of their identity taken away (especially after all the work, practice, off-season training, etc. put in), it can be too much to handle.
RIP to Moore and sympathy to everyone who cared about him.
Just to clarify, my son did not kill himself but nothing before or since other than the death of his grandfather affected him as emotionally as his basketball career being cut short.
Very sad- he was a great player at Purdue but never really met his level of potential in the NFL...
He died while a member of the Vikings but he never played in a game for them.
I believe the average career in the NFL is about 4 years...so he had a lower than average career.
He also wasn’t the biggest man on the field. So many hits will eventually break his body. Since many, many NFL players have to deal with the early “end of a career” without suicide, I would guess that he had other causes, like untreated depression, CTE, drugs, or alcohol, overwhelming social issues...
Unlike NFL player hagiography like publicity, the stress on players can crack the right person
Sorry to hear your story. My son played college baseball during Covid and it ruined the careers of a lot of his teammates. He made it through, played five years, and got his MBA paid for by playing so in the end it worked out.
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