The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office issued a statement on Wednesday to dispute a rumor that circulated regarding Ryan Mallett’s death.
Mallett died on Tuesday after drowning while swimming in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Destin, Fla. There was speculation that the former Arkansas star quarterback had been caught in a riptide or rip current, which have been causing issues and resulting in deaths along many beaches in the area.
The sheriff’s office says there is no indication the 35-year-old Mallett was caught in a riptide or rip current.
“Investigators say Mallett began struggling while attempting to swim to a second sandbar about 150 feet offshore of the beach near Gulf Shores Drive in Destin around 2:15 p.m,” the office wrote in a statement shared on Facebook.
“Despite widespread media misinformation, yellow beach safety flags were flying at the time and there were no indications of any ‘riptides.'”
The office included a bodycam video along with their statements.
Destin Beach Safety issued a statement about the matter. They shared their account of the incident.
“A beach attendant called 911, reporting six individuals struggling to make it back to shore. Destin Beach Safety quickly arrived on scene, where they were informed that one of the swimmers had submerged and failed to resurface.
“Two lifeguards promptly entered the water to assist the swimmers and recover the submerged individual. An additional lifeguard entered to help locate and rescue the submerged swimmer.”
Destin had issued a yellow flag on Tuesday regarding the conditions in the water, which indicates moderate surf and/or currents in the area and unlikely life-threatening conditions. They had issued a red or double red flag in 12 of the 13 prior days. The public is prohibited from entering the gulf under double red flag warnings.
