SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) – Former Raiders linebacker Neiron Ball has died, his family members have announced.
He was just 27-years-old.
Ball died early Tuesday, nearly a year after he was admitted into an Atlanta hospital with a ruptured blood vessel in his brain, his sister Natalie Ball Myricks wrote on Facebook.
“The Ball family is forever grateful for the prayers, donations and immense support of Neiron and his recovery,” she wrote. “Neiron was a very special and loving father, brother and teammate. Neiron has transitioned to a place of peace.”
Ball has battled a rare blood vessel disorder called arteriovenous malformation, which is an abnormality in the connection between arteries and veins in the brain or spine.
The diagnosis was reportedly made after he experienced headaches in 2011 as a member of Florida’s football team.
Ball was picked in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Raiders, with whom he played in 6 games for his rookie season.
He was then released by the Raiders just before each of the next two seasons.
A GoFundMe created by Ball’s sister and great-aunt had garnered more than $136,000 in donations as of Tuesday.
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