What’s great about a reality TV show like Dancing With the Stars is the various celebrity contestants that choose to bravely showcase their footwork and compete for the coveted mirrorball trophy. For over 30 seasons, viewers have watched celebs of all walks of life dance the Cha-Cha-Cha, Foxtrot, and freestyle with their dancing professionals.
Previous seasons have cast controversial contestants and there have also been very memorable ones, too. Season 29 saw NFL athlete Vernon Davis compete with his professional partner Peta Murgatroyd. It was clear that Vernon was better known for his moves on the football field than on the DWTS stage after being eliminated 5th. Still, he was just one of many athletes that have had the courage to join DWTS.
Sadly, Vernon’s name came back into the spotlight when his family suffered a terrible tragedy. Vernon’s brother, Vontae Davis, who also played professionally, died in April, and the cause of death is still unknown.
DWTS Contestant Vernon Davis Opened Up About His Brother’s Tragic Death
Dancing With the Stars has cast athletes since it’s very first season, which saw heavyweight boxer, Evander Holyfield trade his boxing gloves for dancing shoes. Since then, each season has featured as least one professional athlete. It’s really cool to see these athletes show another side to them, especially in dance. And, they can certainly relate to the competitive side of DWTS.
Former NFL player Vernon Davis was announced as one of the celebrity contestants for Season 29 and was paired with professional dancer Peta Murgatroyd. Vernon spent the majority of his NFL football career with the San Francisco 49ers after being drafted in 2006. In 2015, the tight end was traded to the Denver Broncos where he won Super Bowl 50 with his team. From 2016-2019, Vernon was signed to the Washington Redskins and later retired.
A year after announcing his retirement, Vernon wasn’t finished competing as he went on to star on DWTS. Vernon showed off his moves and improved week after week, dancing to styles including the Cha-Cha-Cha, Tango, and Rumba. Unfortunately, he and Peta were eliminated in Week 6.
DWTS Season 29 Contestants/Partners | Placed |
|---|---|
Justina Machado/Sasha Farber | 4th |
Nelly/Daniella Karagach | 3rd |
Nev Schulman/Jenna Johnson | Runner-Up |
Kaitlyn Bristowe/Artem Chigvintsev | Winners |
In August, Vernon appeared as a guest on DWTS alum and professional dancer Cheryl Burke’s Sex, Lies and Spray Tans podcast, where he discussed his run on the reality TV series. However, Vernon also spoke about his life growing up with 7 siblings, especially his brother, Vontae Davis, who tragically died in April at the age of 35. His death was unexpected with no real answers as to why he had passed away so suddenly.
“I’m still unaware of what exactly happened because the reports didn’t come out yet. But you know there was no foul play, so it was probably due to something he put in his body. I’m not quite sure what it was. That’s the only thingI can think of, because he didn’t have any health issues.”
With no real cause of death given, Cheryl asked Vernon if he believed his brother’s passing may have had anything to do with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, commonly known as CTE. The disorder is caused by head injuries, something that occurs very often in the NFL. However, if someone who participated in such a physical sport and later died does not have their brain tested in a lab, it cannot be proven if the cause of death was in fact, CTE.
Vernon touched on this with Cheryl, stating that it was unfortunately too late to test his brother’s brain. “You have to send the brain to Boston, but you only have forty eight hours to send the brain. So yeah, but my brother passed away Saturday night and we found him on Monday.”
What Happened To Vontae Davis?
According to NBC News, Vontae Davis was found dead in his Southwest Ranches, Florida home by his house assistant on April 1. Florida police believed that “foul play is not involved” and further details about how exactly Vontae died were unavailable at the time.
A few days after his death, Vernon spoke to the Daily Mail, and shared that he believed his brother may have “collapsed or slipped” from his sauna, which resulted in his tragic death. Vernon added that he was counting on police detectives to give him and his family answers.
“I’m leaning on the detectives to figure it out but right now we have no answers. They are going to run tests and they said they’ll get back to us.”
In his Daily Mail interview, Vernon was also asked about the possibility that his brother may have had CTE. Vernon shared that is was impossible to tell and his brother showed no signs that he was dealing with a disorder of any kind the last time he saw him.
“Vontae never really showed a history of using drugs or anything like that. I was at his house two weeks ago and he had the massage therapist there. He had a stretch therapist, a chiropractor, you name it,” Vernon shared.
Like his older brother, Vontae also played in the NFL. He was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the first-round pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. After three years with Miami, Vontae was traded to the Indianapolis Colts, where he played for six seasons. He famously retired at halftime while playing for the Buffalo Bills in 2018.
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