Former Ravens QB Cause Of Death At FL Beach Released

DESTIN, FL — A former Baltimore Ravens quarterback who died while swimming off the Destin, Florida, coast, did not face rip tide conditions when he drowned, according to authorities.

Ryan Mallett, 35, died about 2 p.m. on June 27 while swimming off Gulf Shore Drive in Destin, the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. Authorities said Mallett was among a group of six people struggling to return to shore from a sandbar 150 feet offshore when he was pulled under.

The sheriff's office called the incident a "tragic loss of life," but said there were no dangerous conditions that caused Mallett's death, TMZ reported.

Mallet was the 12th person to die while swimming at Gulf of Mexico beaches in a two-week span, and some reports described rip tides.

The National Weather Service listed the deaths as a result of rip currents, or powerful currents that can carry people away from shore. The agency had not yet recorded Mallett's death after it was made public.

"Despite widespread media misinformation, yellow beach safety flags were flying at the time and there were no indications of any rip tides," Okaloosa County Sheriff Eric Aden said a day after Mallet's death.

Mallet went under and lifeguards said he was not breathing when pulled from the water. Lifesaving measures were immediately undertaken, but he was pronounced dead at the Destin Emergency Room.

"There were no rip currents present in the area in which we responded to Ryan Mallet," Destin Fire Rescue said in a statement shared on Facebook June 27. The agency said yellow warning flags were on the beach at the time of his drowning.

A yellow flag "indicates medium hazard, moderate surf and/or currents," the statement said.

Mallett played for the Baltimore Ravens from 2015-2017, according to an NFL statement. During his time with the team, Mallett famously led Baltimore to a dramatic 20-17 win over the rival Pittsburgh Steelers in week 16 of the 2015 season.

Before coming to Baltimore, Mallett played for the New England Patriots and the Houston Texans. Before his death, he was the head football coach at White Hall High School in Arkansas. He coached his first season in 2022, the NFL said.

Mallett died just days after three people died while swimming at Panama City Beach. Authorities confirmed officers responded to "three separate fatal water incidents behind three different resorts" on Saturday.

Saturday's fatalities brought this year's deaths at the popular tourist beach to a nationwide high of seven — all of which happened in a nine-day span.

According to a database compiled by the National Weather Service, four others have died on Gulf Coast beaches in the last two weeks: a 49-year-old man in Gulf Shores, Alabama; a man in Fort Morgan, Alabama; a 49-year-old man at Blue Mountain Beach in Florida; and a 58-year-old man at Miramar Beach in Florida.

The National Weather Service listed the deaths as a result of rip currents, or powerful currents that can carry people away from shore. The agency has not yet recorded Mallett's death.

In Panama City Beach, six of the fatalities occurred within the Panama City Beach limits under double red flags, meaning swimming was prohibited and the water was closed to the public, according to a report. One happened on an unincorporated beach under a single red flag, meaning the beach was under a high surf hazard.

Swimming in water under double red flags is punishable with a $500 fine, according to the city of Panama City Beach.

Following the most recent spate of deaths, the Bay County Sheriff's Office in Florida posted photos of trenches dredged in the sand under the water, a result of powerful rip currents.

"You say you are a 'good' swimmer, an experienced swimmer, a competitive swimmer," the sheriff's office posted, "but you are no match for a rip current."

The National Weather Service advises residents and travelers to know the water conditions at beaches before attempting to swim. Here's what federal officials say swimmers should do if they find themselves caught in a rip current:

• Relax. Rip currents don't pull you under.
• Do not try to swim against a rip current — it will only use up your energy, which you need to survive and escape the rip current.
• Do not try to swim directly toward the shore. Swim along the shoreline until you escape the current's pull. When free from the pull of the current, swim at an angle away from the current toward shore.
• If you feel you can't reach shore, relax, face the shore, and call or wave for help.
• If possible, only swim at beaches with lifeguards.
• If you choose to swim on beaches without a lifeguard, never swim alone. Take a friend and have that person take a cell phone so that person can call 911 for help.