Chiefs' Marquise Brown reveals receiving message from Rondale Moore hours before his death: 'Ain't no way'
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The NFL community continues to mourn the death of wide receiver Rondale Moore, who was found dead at his Indiana home on Saturday night, officials said.
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marquise "Hollywood" Brown was among those who couldn’t believe the news, and he revealed he had just spoken with Moore not hours before he was discovered with a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound in a garage.
As tributes poured in on social media for Moore, Brown said that he received a message from his fellow receiver earlier on Saturday.
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"Bro ain’t no way brotha you just messaged me [a] few hours ago," Brown wrote on X. Brown posted another tweet saying, "You wasn’t alone bro... I told you I know how you feel."
Brown also reposted tributes from other NFL players like Raheem Mostert, Elijah Moore, Jamal Adams and others.
He even shared a text thread that he had with Moore, where he shared words of encouragement after the receiver suffered another season-ending injury. He had dealt with one in 2024, and during the Minnesota Vikings’ first preseason game of 2025, Moore tore his ACL on Aug. 9, 2025.
NFL WIDE RECEIVER RONDALE MOORE DEAD AT 25
"Praying for you brother," Brown wrote to Moore with a praying hands emoji, "sometimes in life when stuff don’t go as planned as frustrating as it may be have to always remember God is in control, his plan will always prevail all we can do is trust him and always remember someone has it worse. I’m here if you ever need to talk bro I know how s--- feel it sucks dawg but knowing you, you built for this don’t give up [flexed arm emoji."
New Albany police chief Todd Bailey broke the news that Moore was found in a garage with a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound. The death remains under investigation.
Floyd County Coroner Matthew Tomlin also confirmed Moore’s death. He said an autopsy would take place on Sunday.
Moore entered the NFL as an Arizona Cardinals pick in the 2021 NFL Draft after starring at Purdue. He played three seasons with the Cardinals before he was traded to the Atlanta Falcons in 2024. However, a season-ending injury cut his time short in Atlanta.
"Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with his family, friends, teammates, and everyone who loved him and had the privilege of knowing such a special person," the Cardinals said in a statement.
He would join the Vikings before the start of last season, but that injury in August didn’t allow him to get a shot at making the roster for that season.
"I am devastated by the news of Rondale’s death. While Rondale had been a member of the Vikings for a short time, he was someone we came to know well and care about deeply," Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said in a statement. "He was a humble, soft-spoken, and respectful young man who was proud of his Indiana roots.
"As a player, he was disciplined, dedicated and resilient despite facing adversity multiple times as injuries sidelined him throughout his career. We are all heartbroken by the fact he won’t continue to live out his NFL dream and we won’t all have a chance to watch him flourish."
Fox News' Ryan Gaydos and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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