A tough October for professional athletes

In just the first 21 days of OCTOBER 2026, at least 10 cases have made headlines:

Jalen Hurts, 28 (NFL, Philadelphia Eagles)— Diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis and blood clots in BOTH lungs.
Allen Bailey, 37 (Former NFL, Chiefs/Falcons) — Found DEAD at his home. Cause of death remains undisclosed.
Ben Kindel, 19 (NHL, Pittsburgh Penguins) — Suffered a medical emergency aboard the team’s flight, forcing the plane to turn around. Hospitalized; diagnosis undisclosed.
Kasey Redfern, 35 (Former NFL, Lions/Falcons) — DIED following a battle with central nervous system lymphoma.
DJ Jones, 18 (NCAA Football, Missouri Tigers) — Underwent a HEART TRANSPLANT after a serious cardiac condition was discovered.
Heidi Burge Horton, 54 (Former WNBA, LA Sparks/Washington Mystics) — DIED from aggressive brain cancer (glioblastoma).
Hyron Andrews, 31 (Professional Rugby, Johannesburg Lions) — Found DEAD in a hotel shower. Autopsy confirmed a fatal aortic dissection.
Cheryl Waaka, 56 (Former Rugby, New Zealand Black Ferns) — DIED following a battle with stage IV bowel cancer.
Eirik Skadsdammen, 45 (Former Pro Hockey, Storhamar/Norway) — Suffered a FATAL CARDIAC ARREST during a hunting trip.
Jack Davies, 24 (Welsh Rugby, RGC/Caernarfon) — DIED unexpectedly. Cause of death has not been publicly disclosed.
Source
Number 2 on the cited list was yet another prominent athlete that just “suddenly” died of “natural causes:”

New York Post@nypost
Family says former Chiefs player Allen Bailey died of natural causes at 37 trib.al/ntiwzOH

3:02 PM · Oct 21, 2026 · 32.1K Views