Former NFL player Gavin Escobar died at the age of 31 as a result of a rock climbing accident Wednesday in California, according to AP News.
The California Fire/Riverside County Fire Department said they received a distress call regarding injuries at around 12:30 p.m., and dispatched a crew to Tahquitz Rock near Idyllwild in Southern California, according to AP News. A team climbed into the remote area, where they found Escobar and a 33-year-old female named Chelsea Walsh dead at the scene, the outlet continued.
Former Dallas Cowboys tight end Gavin Escobar has died after an apparent rock-climbing accident in California. He was only 31 years old. https://t.co/3OMzi1BfNL
— TMZ (@TMZ) September 30, 2022
The identity of the person who called for emergency assistance has not been revealed. Some rain had fallen in the area the morning of the reported incident, but officials have not revealed if the weather was a factor in the deaths of the climbers, according to AP News.
Tahquitz Rock has steep granite cliffs and is a hot spot for climbers, the outlet noted. Escobar was a former tight end for the Dallas Cowboys from 2013 to 2016, and also briefly played for the Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins, according to AP News.(RELATED: NFL Star Says He Was Speeding Before Ohio Car Crash, Video Shows)
Former Cowboys TE Gavin Escobar died in a rock climbing accident in California on Wednesday, according to the USA Today. He was 31. pic.twitter.com/GJZj2koBZP
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 30, 2022
Escobar ended his football career in 2019 and began working as a firefighter in Long Beach in February 2022, the outlet continued.