Vernon Davis shares heartbreaking message about tragic late brother Vontae

Super Bowl winner Vernon Davis has issued an emotional message reflecting on the death of his brother and former NFL star, Vontae Davis. 

In April last year, ex-Miami cornerback Vontae was found slumped naked on the floor of his gym, having collapsed after taking a shocking cocktail of drugs.

A medical examiner’s report revealed that Vontae – ‘a known illicit drug user’ who was known to exhibit ‘erratic behavior’ – was declared dead at the scene. 

The tragic news sent shockwaves throughout the football world when it broke, given Vontae’s stints at the Dolphins, Colts and Bills during his playing career. 

None were more affected than former Broncos star and brother Vernon, who has now issued a statement claiming that he’d ‘trade’ all his success for ‘one more hug’. 

Taking to Instagram on Friday, Vernon wrote: ‘When I lost my brother, I wanted to give up everything I had – my success, my peace, even my future – just to bring him back. 

 Former NFL star Davis was found dead in the gym area of his Florida mansion in April last year

Vernon said he would ‘trade all’ his success for ‘one more hug’ with his late brother

‘No amount of fame or money could fill that hole. I’d trade it all for one more laugh, one more hug, one more day’. 

In the wake of the tragic incident, Vernon offered a heartfelt tribute and reflected on their time together.  

‘He was like my son,’ he told DailyMail.com after his brother’s death.

‘We were four years apart but I remember waking him up to do workouts when he was young and I was in high school. I made him do it because I wanted him to succeed even more than I wanted myself to succeed.

‘I’m proud of him for his great work ethic, for his ability, his discipline. For understanding the difference between being good and great at something and for putting in the work.

‘We were the difference makers in our family. We came from a tough background but we had goals and aspirations to be better than the space we came out of. ‘I could not have picked a better little brother.’

There was no evidence of a break in and nothing was disturbed at the $4 million mansion in upscale Southwest Ranches, where Gisele Bundchen, Dwayne Johnson and fellow football star Tyreek Hill all have homes. 

A medical examiner’s report obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com reveals that Vontae – ‘a known illicit drug user’ who was known to exhibit ‘erratic behavior’ – was declared dead at the scene. 

Davis played for the Miami Dolphins, Indianapolis Colts and Buffalo Bills during his NFL career

Davis, 35, died at home in Southwest Ranches, Florida and was found slumped motionless on the floor of his home gym 

There were lacerations to his face and elbow, as well as evidence that his body was subjected to ‘heat related changes’. But these injuries were listed as ‘postmortem’ and likely happened when he collapsed and hit the floor next to his indoor sauna, the report suggests. 

Vontae’s blood tested positive for various narcotics including methamphetamines, amphetamines, cannabinoids, THC, MDMA and MDA. There were drugs scattered around his house, according to a police report, including cannabis gummies, brown powders and various pink and clear capsules. 

‘There is also a spoon on the kitchen island which appears to have a burnt marking and there is a circular green colored burn stain on the countertop,’ the report notes. Cops spotted traces of vomit in the master bedroom and dark red stains in the hallway, office and garage. 

There was half a pink pill in the gym, a puddle of water from an overturned pitcher and an ‘unknown dark substance on the bench of the sauna’. Vontae was found dead in the ‘supine’ position, wearing only a metal necklace and pendant. 

He had foam and a red substance coming from his mouth, the report said. He exhibited pulmonary and cerebral edema – fluid on the lungs and brain – and cardiomegaly, which means an enlarged heart.

 However, the Broward County Medical Examiner recorded the cause of death as ‘undetermined’. 

This was ‘due to the totality of the circumstances, including inconsistencies between the scene and findings of an autopsy, the cause and manner of death’, the report cautioned. 

Vontae and Vernon, 40, both enjoyed successful NFL careers, Vontae suiting up for the Dolphins, Colts and Bills and Vernon winning Super Bowl 50 with the Broncos. 

Vontae’s blood tested positive for various narcotics including methamphetamines, amphetamines, cannabinoids, THC, MDMA and MDA

‘We were four years apart but I remember waking him up to do workouts when he was young and I was in high school. I made him do it because I wanted him to succeed even more than I wanted myself to succeed,’ Vernon said of his brother 

Former first round pick Vontae played for 10 seasons but shocked the sport in 2018 by removing himself from a game at halftime and declaring that he was ‘done.’ 

Explaining his abrupt retirement, he told reporters his body had been worn down by multiple injuries and surgeries, adding: ‘Reality hit me fast and hard: I shouldn’t be out there anymore.’ 

Vontae also revealed he was worried about the risks of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a devastating brain injury caused by repeated blows to the head. Symptoms of CTE include memory loss, depression, paranoia and suicidal thoughts.

A recent study identified the disease in more than 300 deceased NFL players, including Patriots tight end-turned killer Aaron Hernandez. The medical examiner’s report states that the condition of Vontae’s brain was ‘unremarkable’ and free of lesions or other injuries. 

But it notes that Vontae’s ex-wife, Meghan Harpe, told police that he was indeed suffering from CTE and had been previously enrolled in a therapy program. She believed he had been discharged prematurely and had turned to hard drugs to ‘mitigate’ his symptoms.

Vontae had spent the year prior embroiled in legal troubles including a divorce and a $1 million lawsuit stemming from a horrifying February 2023 DUI crash in which he slammed his Tesla into a stationary truck then fell asleep on the roadside. 

Davis’ ex-wife Megan Harpe suggested that he was suffering from CTE. ‘Yes he had CTE ¿ there is definitely a story here,’ she said, without elaborating

Cars were seen arriving at the property on April 1 following his tragic passing

However, the former athlete had also embarked on a string of new projects, including a luxury chauffeur business and a TV documentary charting how he and Vernon overcame their poverty-stricken childhood to become gridiron heroes. 

The pair and their four siblings were raised in a tough Washington, D.C neighborhood by their grandmother Adaline, 81. A third brother, Michael Davis, was committed to a mental facility for bludgeoning a stranger to death with a sledgehammer in 2012. ‘My mother was addicted to drugs, my father an alcoholic. 

I grew up in some very traumatic situations. I witnessed my father being shot multiple times by his brother,’ Vontae recalled in a 2018 interview. Vontae excelled in track and field at high school and was rookie of the year for the football team at Illinois.