The two-year-old daughter of Tampa Bay Buccaneers football player Shaquil Barrett drowned in a swimming pool at her home Sunday.
The Tampa Police Department said shortly before 9:30 a.m., its officers responded to an emergency call about a child who had fallen into a pool at a home in the Beach Park neighborhood of South Tampa.
Shaquil Barrett’s 2-year old daughter, Arrayah, passed away today due to drowning.
Rest in Peace 😢❤️ pic.twitter.com/lQo0m4rPbc
— NFL Stats (@NFL_Stats) April 30, 2023
The girl, identified as Arrayah, was taken alive to the hospital, but could not be revived and was pronounced dead shortly after.
Tragedy: The 2-year-old daughter of a Tampa Bay #Buccaneers linebacker Shaquil Barrett, Arrayah, drowned in the swimming pool at the family’s south Tampa home Sunday morning.
💔💔💔, sending my thoughts and prayers to the Barrett family.
Rest easy young Angel🙏🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/4SFj1ZkMGQ
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) April 30, 2023
“The investigation is ongoing. It is not believed to be suspicious in nature at this time, but a tragic and accidental incident,” the police report said.
Arrayah turned two years old just a week ago.
Barrett, 30, and his wife, Jordanna, have three other grown children: two male twins and another girl.
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The Buccaneers issued a statement in support of the player and his family.
“Today’s tragic news is heartbreaking for everyone in the Buccaneers family. Our thoughts and prayers are with Shaq, Jordanna and the entire Barrett family during this unimaginably difficult time.”
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) April 30, 2023
“While there are no words that can bring true comfort at a time like this, we offer our support and love as you begin to process this profound loss of your beloved Arrayah.”
Barrett signed with the team in 2019, the year he led the National Football League (NFL) with 19.5 sacks. With that set he won the Super Bowl in 2021.
At the moment, he is recovering from a ruptured Achilles tendon that prevented him from playing the second half of last season.
In total, he has played nine seasons in the NFL, since entering the league as an undrafted free agent from the state of Colorado. His first five years were with the Denver Broncos, with whom he won the Super Bowl in 2015.
