Former Red, Ryan Freel dead at 36 of apparent suicide

Ryan Freel dead at 36 of apparent suicide

During an eight-year major-league career that took him to five teams, Ryan Freel enjoyed a reputation among teammates as high-energy, outgoing and hilarious. That's why so many were shocked to learn that Freel, 36, was found dead Saturday in his Jacksonville, Fla., home with what police told the Florida Times-Union appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Sean Casey, Freel's former teammate with the Cincinnati Reds, tweeted about his death: "RIP Ryan Freel!! Great teammate, great guy, n loved his family! Such a sad day today with his passing! Awful news! Prayers are with his family!"

Freel played for the Reds from 2003 to 2008, and during one three-year stretch had 110 stolen bases. He was paid $11.55 million in his career, which ended prematurely because of a succession of injuries that plagued him after 2006.

Hate hearing these stories...Junior Seau comes to mind too...


Didn't Freel come in some blowout games and pitch for the Reds a few times??

I loved Ryan Freel. This is terrible.

Any Reds fan will tell you that there's a difference between a player being a Red and a player playing for the Reds. Ryan Freel was a Red. He was a blue-collar player who left it all out on the field every chance he got in. He wasn't flashy and he wasn't afraid to sell out for a ball regardless of the situation in the game. He will be missed greatly. RIP #6.

^^ THIS.

Exactly why I loved him. He had the heart of Pete Rose out there.

I'll never forget when he was playing RF in Dodger Stadium and he dove into the crowd for a foul ball that was at least 6 rows back and he drilled an old lady in the chest with his knee. The lady was shaken up for a bit but was eventually fine. They kept showing Freel in RF when the game started back up and you could tell how bad he felt while the stadium EMT took care of the lady.