DESTIN, FLORIDA: Ryan Mallett reportedly drowned at a popular Florida beach where seven people died in just two weeks despite riptide warnings. The 35-year-old former NFL player was on a vacation with his girlfriend Madison Carter when he drowned after getting caught in a rip tide 50 miles west of Panama City, in Destin, Florida.
Okaloosa Sheriff's Department revealed that Mallett was with a group of people in the water when he drowned while struggling to make it back to shore. He was reportedly not breathing when lifeguards pulled him out. The former NFL QB was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead on Tuesday, June 27. Recent reports indicate that the Gulf Coast has seen very hazardous circumstances. In less than two weeks, seven people drowned near the shores of Panama City despite riptide warnings.
Seven deaths in just two weeks
Just three days before Mallett’s death, Morytt Burden, Kimberly Moore, and Donald Wixon drowned at Panama City's beaches in a matter of just a few hours. Two fathers also died on Father's Day, June 18. CNN reported earlier on Tuesday that at least 11 people died as a result of riptides along the entire Gulf Coast, including Alabama. Between 2002 and 2021, the treacherous currents claimed the lives of more than 191 people along the Alabama and Florida Panhandle coast. The death toll is higher than the sum of fatalities caused by tornadoes, lightning, tropical cyclones, and flooding combined, according to National Weather Service figures cited by AL.com.
Sheriff slams swimmers for ignoring warnings
Following recent deaths, the sheriff of a Florida Panhandle county expressed his dismay over beachgoers disobeying warnings about dangerous rip tides. Sheriff Tommy Ford said swimmers who disobey rip tide warnings endanger the lives of rescuers as well. "I'm beyond frustrated at the situation that we have with tragic and unnecessary deaths in the Gulf. I have watched while deputies, firefighters, and lifeguards have risked their lives to save strangers. I have seen strangers die trying to save their children and loved ones, including two fathers on Fathers’ Day," Ford wrote on Facebook on Monday.
He said that several of his employees received verbal abuse and curses for alerting the public to the risks and fining individuals who disregarded the law. "These same heroes, who have risked it all to save others, have been cursed and given the finger while trying to warn visitors of the life-threatening dangers," the Sheriff said. Ford argued that beachgoers should be accountable for their behavior and respect the laws that are in place to protect the public. He urged everyone who visited the beaches in Florida and Alabama to act properly and safely. "Government and law enforcement can only do so much in these situations," Ford said, adding, "Personal responsibility is the only way to ensure that no one else dies. Please make the effort to know the flag status and stay completely out of the water."
