‘Devastated’: Friends, teammates mourn loss of former Jaguars player DJ Hayden

A crash at a red light early Saturday in downtown Houston killed six people, including former Jaguars cornerback D.J. Hayden.

Hayden, 33, was born in Houston and starred at the University of Houston.

The university held a moment of silence Saturday as photos of Hayden and two former teammates who also died in the crash were displayed before the team’s game.

“DJ was a funny guy. He always told jokes, same with Zach McMillon -- always told jokes. And Ralph was like a big baby, a little but big brother,” former college teammate Demetrius Woods said.

RELATED: Former NFL cornerback D.J. Hayden and 5 others killed in crash in downtown Houston

Woods and other friends are now grieving the loss of the football star who almost never had an NFL career.

In 2012, Hayden survived and later recovered from a near-death tear to a major vein near his heart after he and a teammate at the University of Houston collided during practice, requiring emergency surgery.

Hayden overcame that to become a first-round draft pick in 2013. He played in eight seasons through 2020 for the Oakland Raiders, Detroit Lions and Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Jaguars posted a black and white photo of Hayden on their X profile with the words: “We are saddened to learn of the passing of D.J. Hayden.”

The two-vehicle crash that killed Hayden occurred about 2 a.m. when a Chrysler 300, apparently “going very fast, high velocity,” ran the red light and collided with an SUV, Houston Police Asst. Chief Megan Howard said.

Five men and one woman died, including Hayden, the Houston Chronicle reported. In Hayden’s vehicle, two of his former college teammates and another long-time friend also died.

Four people died at the scene. Those killed included the driver of the Chrysler and a man who appeared to be homeless, Howard said.

Four people were taken to the hospital and two of them died, Howard said. One female passenger was in critical condition.

Police interviewed a male passenger from the SUV at the hospital. Investigators were working to identify the driver of the SUV, Howard said.

Sports anchor Jamal St. Cyr started with News4JAX when Hayden was still with the Jaguars in 2019.

“He was a really warm personality in the locker room. Great guy. Some of the best quotes I’ve had,” St. Cyr said.

“D.J.’s courage, perseverance, and dedication to his teammates will be fondly remembered by everyone who knew him,” the Raiders, now based in Las Vegas, said Saturday in a statement. “The prayers of the entire Raider Nation are with D.J.’s loved ones at this time.”

Following his NFL career Hayden took up coaching at Second Baptist School in the Houston area -- this was his first year.

“We were already with the kids that morning so the kids were all here,” Second Baptist School coach Beck Brydon told News4JAX sister station KPRC in Houston. “Instead of going through a normal workout, we had to share the news with them, and they were devastated.”