Luke Knox, a football player from Florida International and younger brother of Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox, died Wednesday evening, the school announced. He was 22 years old. The cause of death was not revealed, but university police said they don’t suspect foul play, according to ESPN.
“Words cannot express the heartfelt sorrow we feel because of the passing of our teammate and friend, Luke Knox,” FIU coach Mike MacIntyre said in a statement. “I had the honor of coaching Luke at Ole Miss and FIU. While I admired his passion for football, his genuine love for his family and teammates is what I will always remember. He had a special way of making everyone around him feel comfortable and confident.”
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Luke Knox spent the last four years at Ole Miss and was a linebacker. He played mostly on special teams but started two games at linebacker in 2019 when MacIntyre was the defensive coordinator. Last year, Knox made the transition from linebacker to tight end during spring drills. He saw action in seven games and recorded 11 tackles, two tackles for loss, one pass defended and one fumble recovery. Knox is from Brentwood, Tennessee and played high school football at Brentwood Academy.
“We send our thoughts and prayers to Luke’s family, friends and teammates during this difficult time,” FIU athletics said in a statement. “Coaches and support staff have been reaching out to our football family and will continue to do so to ensure our student-athletes have the support they need.”
Bills coach Sean McDermott spoke to reporters on Thursday morning and said the team is showing support for Dawson Knox and his family. “My heart goes out to — our hearts go out to Dawson and his family during this time,” McDermott said. “We’re right there with him and supporting him and his family and just tragic news that I woke up to this morning. So we love him, and we support him and just unfortunate news this morning.”
FIU players were told of Luke Knox’s death late Wednesday and Thursday’s practice was canceled. Lane Kiffin, the head coach of Ole Miss said: “I am very grateful for my personal relationship and time spent with Luke. He was a tremendous teammate and an even better person who lifted up everyone around him.”
