Upstate, New York Football Player Dies Days Before NFL Draft

An Upstate, New York University is mourning the loss of a former student-athlete.

UAlbany Football Star Dies Right Before NFL Draft

News broke across many outlets earlier this week that 25-year-old Amitral "AJ" Simon had passed away.

Simon, a former football player at The University of Albany, played as a pass rusher, and dreamed of playing in the NFL. According to NBC News, during his time at UAlbany Simon led the Great Danes to the semifinals of the NCAA FCS playoffs in 2023.

After the 2023 season at UAlbany, Simon announced on social media that he was entering the NFL Draft.

The 25-year-old was an NFL prospect and had recently visited New England, which could have led to draft potential.  NBC Sports writes "He had taken a pre-draft visit to New England last week and might have been drafted next week."

Information on Simon's cause of death is not known at this time.

The University of Albany Football Team Mourns Former Player

After the news was made public, the University of Albany Football team released a statement to their Instagram page alongside a photo of Simon, in the post they wrote, "The UAlbany Football program was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of former student-athlete Amitral “AJ” Simon this morning. "

The university adds:

AJ was a tremendous young man and even better teammate throughout his time at UAlbany. He was a role model both on and off the field, serving as a pillar to this program over the last two years. He will be profoundly missed.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by UAlbany Football (@ualbanyfootball)

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends, and teammates of AJ Simon.