Alex Collins, former NFL running back, was dies in a motorcycle accident over the weekend.
Monday evening, Collins’ former team, the Baltimore Ravens, was among the first to announce his demise via social media. Broward County, Florida officials issued a statement that Collins was slain in a motorcycle accident in Lauderdale Lakes on Sunday evening.
Sunday at 10:15 p.m., the Broward County Sheriff’s Office responded to a complaint in the 3300 block of West Oakland Park Boulevard. Collings was traveling a 2004 Suzuki GSX-R600K motorcycle when he collided with a Chevrolet Suburban, according to preliminary investigation.
Broward County Sheriff’s Office stated in a press release that the Chevrolet was attempting to cross eastbound lanes when Collins’ motorcycle collided with the rear passenger side of the SUV as it was making a left turn. Collins was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident, according to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office.
Collins, who played collegiate football for the Arkansas Razorbacks, spent five seasons in the NFL. The team that drafted him in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft, the Seattle Seahawks, employed him for three seasons; the Baltimore Ravens employed him for the remaining two seasons.
With heavy hearts, we mourn the passing of Alex Collins. pic.twitter.com/IDywUZ8m73
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 15, 2023
Collings made headlines throughout his NFL career for his Irish jig touchdown celebration routine. In an interview with CBS Evening News, he revealed that his high school football coach’s daughter taught him the Irish dance.
Collins acknowledged in past interviews that he was ridiculed for the dance, but credited the Irish jig with enhancing his athletic performance. The former NFL running back reported that it improved his footwork.
In 2017, Collins sent a 12-year-old boy who was bullied for pursuing Irish dance words of encouragement.
Collins wrote, in part, on social media, “Never stop doing the things you love just because someone else disagrees.”
