Tony Siragusa retired in 2001, one year after he helped the Baltimore Ravens win a Super Bowl title
Legendary Baltimore Ravens defensive lineman Tony Siragusa has died, the team confirmed. He was 55.
“He was a special person and clearly one of the most popular players in Ravens history,” team owner Steve Bisciotti said in a statement on Twitter Wednesday.
Bisciotti said Siragusa, who fans often called “The Goose,” was a “larger-than-life personality” who “made an enormous impact” on the organization, as well as the Baltimore community.
“On the football field, Goose was a difference-maker who contributed immeasurably to the success of many great Ravens defenses,” Bisciotti said of Siragusa, who also played for the Indianapolis Colts.
Following his retirement from the NFL in 2001, Siragusa worked as a sideline reporter for Fox Sports from 2003-2015. His cause of death has not yet been made publicly available.
Colts owner Jim Irsay said he is “heartbroken” by the loss, “as is all of Colts Nation.”
Added Irsay: “The Goose squeezed 200 fun-loving years into 55!!”
Irsay called Siragusa one of the “physically strongest players” he’s seen in 50 years, a beloved teammate and friend with a genuine passion for football.
Siragusa’s broadcast agent, Jim Ornstein, told the Associated Press that the NFL star was “way more than” his client.
“He was family,” he said. “My heart goes out to Tony’s loved ones.”
One of Siragusa’s former Baltimore teammates, Ray Lewis, said, “This is a tough one.”
“I love Goose like a brother,” the NFL Network reported. “From the first day we met, I knew that life was different. I knew he was someone who would change my life forever.”
Lewis, 47, continued: “He was a one-of-a-kind person who made you feel important and special. You can never replace a man like that. On the field, he was the ultimate competitor who brought out the best in all of us.”
Siragusa signed with the Colts as an unrestricted free agent after going undrafted in 1990. He played in the NFL for 12 seasons, including a Super Bowl win with the Ravens in 2000. He retired in 2001.
The former Ravens star’s death comes just one day after the team lost linebacker Jaylon Ferguson.
Ferguson’s cause of death has not been determined, but the Baltimore Police Department calls the 26-year-old’s death “questionable.”
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