Terrell Roberts Dead: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

terrell roberts dead

Getty Former NFL player Terrell Roberts is dead, reports say.

Terrell Roberts, the former NFL player who once played for the Bengals and Oregon State, was shot and killed in Richmond, California during a disturbance in the garage at a family home, Richmond police confirmed to Heavy in an interview.

Police spokesman Sgt. Enrik Melgoza, in a telephone interview with Heavy, said the shooting death occurred at 4:10 p.m. on September 11, 2019. The suspect and Roberts were in the garage when the shooting occurred, and, once shot, Roberts stumbled into the backyard, where he died, Melgoza said.

“There was a disturbance between the suspect and victim in the garage,” Melgoza said in the interview. However, he stated the motive and suspect remain unclear, including whether Roberts knew the suspect or why the man was in the garage with the former NFL player.

The shooting occurred in the 1200 block of Fascination circle, and Roberts died from a single gunshot wound to his chest, according to the police sergeant, who described the suspect as an adult black male, between the ages of 20 and 35, weighing around 250 pounds, with a short beard and wearing a black shirt. He said that two other family members were at the residence and were interviewed by authorities. It’s not yet clear whether they knew the suspect, either, Melgoza told Heavy. He described the residence as a “family home.”

News of the shooting death broke late in the evening on September 11, 2019.

Here’s what you need to know:


1. Terrell Roberts Was Described by His Family as Having a ‘Heart of Gold’

terrell roberts

Cornerback Terrell Roberts #30 of the Cincinnati Bengals warms-up for the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field on October 3, 2004 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

CBS San Francisco also confirmed Roberts’ death through his family.

Roberts was a defensive back who played for the Cincinnati Bengals in the mid-2000s. The CBS report said Roberts was at his grandmother’s house (Melgoza wouldn’t confirm which family members owned the home). His family told CBS that he was not “mixed up in anything bad” and had a heart of gold. The television station reported that “someone entered the residence” at Fascination Circle.

According to his NFL stats, which you can see here, Terrell Roberts was born in Berkeley, California, but attended Oregon State University. He’s listed as 38-years-old, and the website says he played for three seasons.

In all, he played in 23 games for the Bengals. In 2005, the Bengals waived Roberts after reports that he was suffering a knee injury.

He graduated from El Cerrito High School. His OSU biography says he was a standout there; “Terrell, a two-year starter for El Cerrito, was selected as a preseason prep All-America pick as a defensive back by PrepStar Magazine…listed as sixth-best defensive back in the Western region by PrepStar Magazine in its preseason publication…selected as the ninth-best defensive back by PrepStar Magazine on its All-Western Region squad,” the site reported in 2011.


2. Terrell Roberts Has a Twin Brother & Once Said Deion Sanders Was His Favorite Athlete

terrell roberts

Terrell Roberts #30 of the Cinncinnati Bengals carries the ball against the New York Jets on August 10, 2003 at Giant Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

An old biography for Terrell Roberts on the Oregon State website says he was born in 1981, the son of Claudell Roberts and Carmen Buenger.

“His father is in construction and his mother is an administrative assistant,” the 2011 bio said. “…he is in the College of Liberal Arts and is a pre-communication major…he has a twin brother, Claudell Jr., plus another brother Ryan and a sister, Kaitlin…Deion Sanders is his favorite athlete.”

In high school, his “top two athletic thrills” included “intercepting three passes in one game vs. Alameda High School as a junior, returning two of the three for touchdowns, including one of 100 yards…as a senior, he rushed for 306 yards on 22 carries in one game vs. Piedmont High School and scored 5 touchdowns..”

The biography said Roberts selected OSU because, “Of the opportunity to play under a football staff with big credentials, and to play in the Pac-10 Conference with a program going in a positive direction.”

A man from Richmond wrote on Facebook: “My prayers and condolences to Claudell Roberts. R.I.P Terrell. Rest easy big cuz.”


3. A Local News Anchor Wrote in 2018 That Roberts Looked Like He Could Still Play Professional Football

One news anchor wrote about a positive encounter he had with Roberts in 2018.

“I meet great people all of the time, and this morning, in an East Bay gas station, I enjoyed meeting former NFL Player Terrell Roberts, who used to play for the Cincinnati Bengals…and before that Oregon State,” KTVU-TV anchorman Dave Clark wrote on Facebook.

“I also met Terrell’s wonderful son. Terrell is from El Cerrito, and I know he makes his hometown proud, and, he STILL looks like he could play TODAY in the NFL!”


4. Tributes Began to Flow in for Terrell Roberts

As news of his death spread, tributes flowed on social media for Terrell Roberts. “D*mn. I always liked Terrell Roberts. He was a part of a great stretch of OSU defensive backs,” wrote one man.

Tim Euhus wrote: “Lost another teammate. Must be getting old….” Another man responded, “damn RIP i was literally texting with him two weeks ago about making a Fiesta Bowl Beavs doc. that really sucks man.”

“So sad…..RIP Terrell,” wrote another.


5. Terrell Roberts Was Once Described as Having ‘Tremendous Strength’

terrell roberts

Cincinnati Bengals DB Terrell Roberts is stopped by the Jets DE Shaun Ellis during action against the New York Jets at the Meadowlands In East Rutherford, New Jersey, Aug. 10, 2003. The Jets defeated the Bengals 28 – 13.

The OSU biography described Terrell as once having “tremendous strength for his size and will deliver a strong blow…he is outstanding on run support as well as man pass coverage…”

During winter conditioning, Terrell “posted impressive weightlifting marks of 455 in the back squat, 395 in the bench press and 264 in the power clean…he posted a vertical jump best of 35 inches,” the site reported.

Richmond, California is located about 20 minutes from San Francisco, in Contra Costa County, California.

This post is being updated as more information is learned about Terrell Roberts’ death.