The widow of late NFL player Jordan Devey emotionally recalled breaking the news of her husband’s death to the couple’s son, Cash.
Jordan died by suicide in July. He was 38.
“The day I told Cash his dad had gone home to Heaven, his world shattered,” Linsey Devey shared via Instagram last month. “He ran outside and let out a scream that no 11-year-old should ever have to carry.”
Moments later, Linsey recalled Cash coming back inside with an urgent plea.
“He wiped his tears, walked back to me, and with a strength I know came from Christ, said, ‘Mom, we can do this together. Don’t take your own life,’” she wrote. “In the middle of his deepest grief, he reminded me that we would not face it alone. I will never forget those words.”
Linsey said her son has “always carried this quiet instinct to protect our family.”
“He feels everything so deeply, but he rarely lets you see it because he thinks his job is to be strong for me…just like his dad,” she wrote. “He has Jordan’s heart. The same kindness. The same compassion. The same spiritual strength that made so many people feel safe.”
Linsey said “the hardest thing” about Jordan’s death was watching “my son holding his dad’s hand for the last time.”
“In that moment, he didn’t just lose his father,” she explained. “He lost his best friend, his mentor, and the coach who taught him how to love, lead, and believe.”
In addition to Cash, Linsey and Jordan shared daughters MJ, 8, Winnie, 4, and Stevie, 2.
Linsey announced her husband’s death with an emotional social media post on July 23.
“Today would have been our 15th year anniversary,” she shared alongside a photo of Jordan in the hospital. “We have filled the walls of our homes and hearts with countless memories, joys, struggles, and triumphs. We brought 4 beautiful children into this world that have your eyes, freckles, and compassion. You were our hero and our hearts ache in your absence. We love you. We miss you. And as you said in your last words to me, ‘we’ll talk soon.’ ❤️.”
A GoFundMe set up in Jordan’s honor revealed he “took his own life.” The fundraiser has since raised over $178,000.
Jordan, a guard, was on the roster of six NFL teams throughout his career, which spanned from 2013 to 2020.
