12 Die At Gulf Beaches In 2 Weeks, Including Ex-NFL QB

DESTIN, FL — A former NFL quarterback drowned Tuesday while swimming off the Destin coast, according to authorities, making him the 12th person to die while swimming at Gulf of Mexico beaches in the last two weeks.

Ryan Mallett, 35, died shortly after 2 p.m. while swimming off Gulf Shore Drive in Destin, the Oskaloosa County Sheriff's Office said in a statement. Authorities said Mallett was among a group struggling to return to shore when he was pulled under.

Mallett was not breathing when lifeguards pulled him from the water, authorities said. He was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Mallett played for the New England Patriots, Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens, according to an NFL statement. 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.

• Related: Florida Beach Deaths: How To Spot Dangerous Rip Currents

City officials identified the victims as Kimberly Ann Mckelvy Moore, 39, of Lithonia, Georgia; Morytt James Burden, 63, of Lithia Springs, Georgia; and Donald Wixon, 68, from Canton, Michigan.

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 last weekend's 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.