Amitral "AJ" Simon Jr. (December 2, 1998 – April 17, 2024)[1] was an American football defensive end for the Albany Great Danes. He previously played for the Bloomsburg Huskies.
| Albany Great Danes – No. 8 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Defensive end |
| Class | Senior |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | December 2, 1998[1] |
| Died: | April 17, 2024 (aged 25) |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight | 267 lb (121 kg) |
| Career history | |
| College |
|
| High school | Pocono Mountain West (Pocono Summit, Pennsylvania) |
Early life and high school
editComing out of high school in 2018, Simon decided to commit to play college football for the Bloomsburg Huskies.[2]
College career
editBloomsburg
editDuring Simon's career at Bloomsburg, he notched 80 tackles with 20 being for a loss, 11.5 sacks, two pass deflections, and three forced fumbles.[3]
Albany
editFor the 2022 season, Simon decided to transfer to play for the Albany Great Danes.[4][5] During Simon's first season with the Great Danes, Simon tallied five sacks.[6] In Simon's last collegiate season in 2023, Simon totaled 55 tackles and 12.5 sacks.[citation needed] For his performance on the 2023 season, Simon was named first team all CAA, and a FCS All American.[7] After the conclusion of the 2023 season, Simon decided to declare for the 2024 NFL draft.[8][9]
Death
editOn April 17, 2024, just a week before the 2024 NFL draft, Simon was pronounced dead at the age of 25 with the cause of death unknown.[10][11]
References
edit- ^ a b "AJ Simon". Twitter. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
- ^ Wells, Adam. "AJ Simon Dies; 2024 NFL Draft Prospect Played DL for University at Albany". Bleacher Report. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- ^ "AJ Simon". Bloomsburg University Athletics. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- ^ Madani, Doha (April 18, 2024). "NFL prospect AJ Simon dies one week before the draft". NBC News. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- ^ Parks, James (April 17, 2024). "Ex-college football player, NFL Draft hopeful AJ Simon dies at 25". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- ^ "Albany football star AJ Simon Jr. dies week before NFL Draft". The Athletic. April 17, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- ^ Vasquez, Ingrid. "Albany Football Star AJ Simon Dead at 25, 1 Week Before NFL Draft". People.com. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- ^ Kelly, Michael. "UAlbany football star Amitral 'A.J.' Simon Jr. dies week before NFL draft". Times Union. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- ^ Wang, Jackson (April 17, 2024). "AJ Simon, vaunted UAlbany pass rusher, dead at 25". Spectrum News. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- ^ "Albany NFL draft hopeful AJ Simon dies at age 25". ESPN. April 17, 2024. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- ^ Neumann, Sean; Dye, Natasha. "Former Coaches, Teammates Honor NFL Prospect AJ Simon After Sudden Death: 'A Tremendous Player'". Peoples.com. Retrieved April 19, 2024.