Former NFL running back Isaiah Pead’s football career abruptly ended thanks to a single-car crash this past weekend. We now know that Pead lost part of his leg in the crash.
While on his weekly radio show Wednesday, University of Cincinnati football coach Tommy Tuberville—the coach of Pead’s alma mater and the one who earlier broke the news that Pead’s NFL career was over—revealed that Pead lost part of his leg in the accident.
The single-car crash ended up with Pead being ejected from the vehicle and, according to Tuberville, ultimately losing part of a limb:
“It’s devastating, because he lost part of his left leg,” Tuberville said. “He’ll never play again, obviously. It’s just devastating.”
“You try to tell these kids to watch your speed or watch things,” Tuberville said. “There was nothing involved other than speed, and he had a blowout. When you have a blowout, you can’t control the car.”
“Heck of a football player,” Tuberville said. “I’ve gotten to know him quite well. He’d come to the office and work out with our players. I actually worked out with him one day, or tried to, tried to stay up with him. Great kid.”
Though Pead played with the Bearcats before Tuberville’s arrival, Tuberville said he became friends with him, as he was often around the Cincinnati facilities. Pead, a 2012 second-round pick, was a member of the St. Louis (now Los Angeles) Rams from that year through 2015, and was with the Miami Dolphins earlier this season before being cut. He reportedly was trying to get back to the NFL and recently received interest from Kansas City. But now it looks like those plans won’t come to fruition thanks to his injuries here.
As of now, we don’t know exactly how much of his leg Pead lost. The crash occurred this past weekend while Pead was travelling with fellow former Cincinnati player Wesley Richardson (who has been released from hospital). Reports have said drugs and alcohol are not suspected to be factors, but speed may have been; witnesses said the car was going at speeds as high as 90 miles per hour.
How this entire story has played out has just been strange. We continue to get bits and pieces, and mostly just from only the coach of Pead’s alma mater. Regardless, it is a sad situation. But Pead seems to be doing well; he was smiling during a visit Wednesday from long-time Cincinnati trainer Bob Mangine (the photo up top). Here’s wishing Pead the best in his recovery.
