After suffering a brain aneurysm on Nov. 28 and having surgery a day later, former Jets TE Konrad Reuland died on Monday. He was 29.
Reuland appeared in 26 games for the Jets from 2012-13, catching 12 passes while being used primarily as an inline blocker and on special teams. The 6'5", 254-pound Reuland was originally claimed off of waivers by the Jets from San Francisco on Sep. 1, 2012 and made 11 catches that season as he appeared in all 16 contests. He played in 10 games the following season and was placed on injured reserve on Nov. 19, 2013.
A Stanford product, Reuland spent his first pro season on the San Francisco practice squad and then he led the 49ers during the 2012 exhibition season with nine catches for 73 yards.
Reuland was a longtime friend of former Jets QB Mark Sanchez as the pair attended Mission Viejo HS together. While the passer starred at USC, Reuland attended Notre Dame before transferring to Stanford. They became teammates again as pros before Reuland finished his NFL career with the Ravens in 2015.
It's been a difficult year for the Jets family as the organization lost Dennis Byrd on Oct. 15 when the 50-year-old former DL was a fatality in a two-vehicle collision in Oklahoma. Less than two weeks ago, former RB Joe McKnight had his life taken from him following a road-rage incident on Dec. 1. The team has also mourned the losses of former kicker Cary Blanchard, Jets Ring of Honor member Winston Hill, former punter Curley Johnson as well as former defensive assistant Buddy Ryan.
"It's been a tough year as we lose members of our football family," said former Jets LB Bart Scott. "The special bonds of teammates are unbreakable. We leave ourselves vulnerable emotionally and physically. Through adversity, we reveal who we are and Konrad was a caring, thoughtful, proud and a fierce competitor. He will be missed. My thoughts, prayers and condolences go out to his family."
