Former Major League Baseball player Ryan Freel was found dead on Saturday in his Jacksonville, Fla. home on Saturday of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police confirmed. The 36-year-old ex-MLB player left behind a wife and three children.
Freel began his major league baseball career in 2001 with the Toronto Blue Jays and went on to play with the Cincinnati Reds, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs and Kansas City Royals. His baseball career was cut short after eight years due to head, neck and knee injuries. Freel spent his days after Major League Baseball coaching youth.
Former teammate Brandon Phillips expressed his condolences via Twitter:
#RIPto my friend & great teammate #RyanFreel! Really hurt by his passing! You’ll never will be forgotten… lockerz.com/s/271146472
— Brandon Phillips (@DatDudeBP) December 23, 2012