Ron Brace: Former New England Patriots Defensive Tackle Dies at Age 29, Reports Say

Ron Brace was one of four second-round picks by the New England Patriots in the 2009 NFL Draft. (NFL via Getty Images)

Dave Martin

Dave Martin is a New-York based writer as well as editor. He is the sports editor for the Epoch Times and is a consultant to private writers.

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April 24, 2016Updated: April 24, 2016

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Former NFL defensive tackle Ron Brace has passed away at the age of 29. Brace’s cousin, Shaunta Brace, confirmed the news to MassLive.com Sunday afternoon.

The Springfield, Mass., native played four seasons for the New England Patriots after being drafted out of Boston College in 2009. His cause of death has not been disclosed, multiple outlets report.

Former #Patriots DT Ron Brace has died. Our thoughts are with his family and friends. https://t.co/XgU7TiiPYj pic.twitter.com/X9Qo89hNYT

— Pats Pulpit (@patspulpit) April 24, 2016

Police were called to Brace’s home in Springfield Saturday night for an unattended death. The cause of death was not suspicious, according to Police Capt. Robert Strzempek.

Former Boston College defensive tackle Al Washington took to Twitter to express his sadness over Brace’s death.

pic.twitter.com/QAQ9QvdTXY

— Al Washington (@CoachWash56) April 24, 2016

Brace was a 6-f0ot-3-inch, 330-pound defensive tackle when New England took him in the second round (40th overall selection) of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played 39 career games with the Patriots—including seven starts—before being released in December of 2012.

He signed with the Washington Redskins in February of 2013 but was released later that year and never played another NFL game.