PatsOn Memorial Day, New England Patriots Defensive End Marquise Hill died in a jet-ski accident on Lake Ponchartrain near New Orleans, LA. The Orleans Parish Coroner, Dr. Frank Minyard, has ruled the death an accidental drowning.

Allnfltalk.com would like to extend our most sincere condolences to the Hill family and to the entire NFL.

I can’t help but think, however, that this accident was, on some level, unnecessary and very irresponsible, so let’s examine the facts of the matter.Hill

Capt. Brian Clark of the Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Department said the water was “very choppy and there were currents.” Hill and an unidentified woman were riding a water-craft near a known shipping channel in Lake Ponchartrain, just north of New Orleans when Mr. Hill was ejected from a jet ski that he and the woman were riding. It has been reported that the accident happened where water depths can be 90 feet or more and water currents are very different than they are in normal parts of the lake. Also, the couple went out at approximately 8:30 p.m. while a state regulation says that people must be off the water at least 30 minutes prior to sunset on a given day. Sunset was at 7:53 p.m. on the 27th of May making this, at best, very poor judgment on the couple’s behalf.

While it has been widely reported that Marquise Hill was a magnificent man and a gentle giant, it appears that he showed, as so many NFL players have recently, very poor judgement that may have, indeed, cost him his life.