Jeff Gee Gladney (December 12, 1996 – May 30, 2022) was an American football cornerback of the National Football League (NFL) for two seasons. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at the Texas Christian University and was a twice all-conference selection in the Big 12. He was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the

2020 NFL Draft The 2020 NFL Draft was the 85th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2020 NFL season. The first round was held on April 23, followed by the second and third rounds on April 24. The d ...

. He signed with the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

in 2022, but never played for the team before his death.

High school career

Playing at New Boston High School in New Boston, Texas, Gladney was a three-star recruit and signed with Texas Christian University (TCU) to play

for the TCU Horned Frogs on February 5, 2015, after originally committing to the program on June 6, 2014. Gladney chose TCU over offers from North Texas, Northern Illinois, Rice, Texas State, Tulsa, and UTSA.

College career

Gladney redshirted his freshman year due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament sustained during his senior year in high school, but then was a four-year starter at Texas Christian University. During his junior season, Gladney made waves as a cover corner, earning first-team all- Big 12 Conference by Pro Football Focus and second-team all-Big 12 by the coaches. He injured a

meniscus Meniscus may refer to: *Meniscus (anatomy), crescent-shaped fibrocartilaginous structure that partly divides a joint cavity *Meniscus (liquid) The meniscus (plural: ''menisci'', from the Greek for "crescent") is the curve in the upper surface ...

before his senior season but played the whole year, waiting for surgery until after the conclusion of the season. Over his TCU career, he recorded five interceptions and was named to the

2020 Senior Bowl The 2020 Senior Bowl was an all-star college football exhibition game played on January 25, 2020, at 1:30 p.m. CST, at Ladd–Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. The game featured prospects for the 2020 draft of the professional National Fo ...

roster after his senior season as well as garnering first-team all-Big 12 honors by the Associated Press. NFL draft evaluators praised Gladney for his physical style of play.

Professional career

Minnesota Vikings

Gladney was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round with the 31st overall pick in the

. Heading into his first training camp, Gladney competed for a starting job against Mike Hughes,

Holton Hill Holton Hill (born March 28, 1997) is an American football cornerback who is a free agent. He played college football at Texas and has played in the NFL for the Minnesota Vikings. Early years Hill attended Lamar High School in Houston, Texas. A ...

, and fellow rookie Cameron Dantzler, and ended up starting every game of the 2020 season as cornerback from Week 2 onwards. In Week 6 against the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

, Gladney recorded his first forced fumble on running back Brian Hill which was recovered by the Vikings during the 40–23 loss. Overall, Gladney finished the 2020 season with 81 total tackles, three passes defensed, and one forced fumble. Gladney was released on August 3, 2021, after his indictment for

domestic violence Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...

. In March 2022, he was found not guilty of the charges.

Arizona Cardinals

On March 16, 2022, Gladney signed with the

Personal life and death

Gladney had one son, born in 2021. Gladney was close friends with fellow 2020 first round draft pick and current Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jalen Reagor. On May 30, 2022, Gladney and his girlfriend, Mercedes Palacios, were killed in a car crash in Dallas, Texas, at 2:30 am. Police reports indicated that Gladney's Mercedes SUV clipped a car, while traveling at an excessive speed; his vehicle then spun off the road, crashed into a brick wall, and ignited into flames. Gladney was 25 years old; Palacios was 26.

References

External links

TCU Horned Frogs bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gladney, Jeff 1996 births 2022 deaths 21st-century African-American sportspeople African-American players of American football People from New Boston, Texas Players of American football from Texas American football cornerbacks TCU Horned Frogs football players Minnesota Vikings players Arizona Cardinals players Road incident deaths in Texas