Malik Gant, the late defensive back for the New England Patriots, made it to the pros in 2019. But his mom, Sirraya, said that success came with mental struggles that affected him deeply.
In May, police in Miami, Florida, discovered the D.C. native unresponsive on the beach, just days before his 26th birthday. The cause of his death is still under investigation.
Sirraya Gant said she is still learning to cope with the sudden loss.
“It’s still fresh,” she told WTOP. “Losing a child is the most devastating thing for a parent.”
To honor her son’s memory, on and off the field, Sirraya decided start a nonprofit organization aimed at tackling mental health issues among athletes. She is still developing the details, but a soft launch is expected in early January, 2024.
“There are so many things athletes go through,” she said. “And it’s not talked about enough.”
Gant had played football since he was five, his mother said, and attended H.D. Woodson High School in D.C., where he was a star on the team. In college, he became a walk-on player at Marshall University’s Thundering Herd in West Virginia.
Then, in 2019, the New England Patriots came calling. He signed on with the team but was cut a few months before the 2021 season.
“Just sitting through the draft and thinking you’re going to be a certain pick and it doesn’t happen,” Sirraya said. “I watched the emotion that goes up and down.”
She said the nonprofit will target athletes from high school sports up to players in the pros. It will also have a component to educating parents on how to support athlete children.
“I can only speak from a parents’ perspective,” Sirraya said. “I think parents also need to know how to navigate this.”
Sirraya has received support from local coaches, parents and former players, like her son’s close friend, Jamaal Jones.
Jones and Gant met as freshmen teammates at Woodson High School and had encouraged each other through their football careers.
Jones’ push toward the NFL ended early after an ankle injury sustained during a game. The two continued to support each other, as Jones watched Gant’s football career skyrocket.
Currently an assistant football coach at his alma mater, Jones said they would have benefited from a foundation like the one Sirraya is planning in her son’s name.
“This will help out a lot,” said Jones. “Dealing with an injury in high school, I’d never dealt with that before. I had to figure it out. Malik would be happy with what his mom is doing.”
