On Wednesday, former Dallas Cowboys running back Marion Barber was found dead by police in his Frisco, Texas apartment.
He was 38 years old.
Dez Bryant, a former teammate of Barber’s, was one of the first to react to his passing.
“Too much to digest, so much too say… This is real life, it can be any of us. We need each other, we need unity… RIP Marion Barber may God rest your soul,” he wrote as the caption to a video message on Twitter.
Following his retirement from the NFL in 2011, Barber struggled with mental health issues and run-ins with the law. Bryant was in tune with his former teammate’s post-football struggles.
In July of 2021, Bryant shared a tweet saying that Barber was “down out and bad.”
“As I watch this video and me knowing exactly how Marion barber life is going right now today is why I built @personalcorner …. I can’t even enjoy it because he’s down and out bad…we are just a stat and moments to most people…” he wrote in response to a Marion Barber highlight video.
Barber was arrested in April, 2019 and faced two charges of criminal mischief after damaging two vehicles on two separate occasions in 2018. One witness alleged that he rammed into her vehicle with his body, leaving large dents. He was sentenced to 12 months probation, 60 hours of community service and up to $2,000 in fines, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Barber was also detained by police for an incident in 2014. Instead of arresting him, police took him in for a mental health evaluation.
Bryant said he had a meeting with the NFL Players Association on Thursday, presumably to discuss the early passing of former NFL players.
“I instantly started crying today thinking about all of the athletes who have passed at a very young age..why I gotta be crazy for speaking up? Athletes why are some of you scared to speak? I’ll trade all my money in for guidance and answers we need it..” he wrote in a follow-up message on Thursday.
Barber’s final season in Dallas was Bryant’s rookie season with the Cowboys.
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