Former NFL wide receiver and Michigan State star Charles Rogers died early Monday morning, several former teammates and coaches have confirmed. He was 38.
While the cause of death is not yet known, former Michigan State and NFL tight end Chris Baker tweeted on Monday that he spoke with Rogers’ mother and was given the bad news.
Devastated to learn of the passing of my spartan brother Charles Rodgers. Spoke with his mom this morning. Please pray for her and his children. Please also be respectful of their privacy at this difficult time. Rip Chuck
— Chris Baker (@Toten86) November 11, 2019
Don Durrett, Rogers’ former coach at Saginaw High School in Michigan, also told the Detroit Free Press that he hard from several of his former players that Rogers had passed away overnight. He had high praise for the former standout.
“I’ll tell you, he was — and I’m including Flint, too, since I coached at Flint Northern all those years — he’s the best athlete I ever seen. I mean, honestly,” Durett said. “We’re talking about basketball, football and track together. He could have had a scholarship in all three sports. That’s how good. … I haven’t seen nobody that fast that could do it all. He was just a blessed athlete that could do it all.”
Rogers enjoyed a stellar career at Michigan State, where he still holds the record for most receiving touchdowns in a Spartan’s career with 27. He also holds the school record for most receiving yards in a game with 270. Rogers caught 135 passes for 2,821 yards and 27 scores over his two seasons as a starter at Michigan State, and he broke Randy Moss’s NCAA record of 13 consecutive games with a touchdown catch.
Following his outstanding career at Michigan State, Rogers was selected by the Detroit Lions with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft. His NFL career never took off, however, as he suffered a broken clavicle in both his rookie season and second year in the league. He then admittedly struggled with drug addiction issues and was suspended in 2005 for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy multiple times. The Lions released him in 2006.
Rogers also had trouble with the law after his NFL career ended, as he was arrested for allegedly threatening to kill his mother over a sum of money in 2012.
UPDATE: Saginaw High School athletic director Marshall Thomas told MLive.com that Rogers had cancer and was awaiting a liver transplant.
