NFL writer Terez Paylor dies unexpectedly at 37

[KC Wolf]

Yahoo Sports

Sports journalism has lost some good people over the past several days: ESPN baseball writer Pedro Gomez died unexpectedly Sunday at the age of 58, and NFL.com writer Chris Wesseling died Friday at the age of 46 after a long battle with cancer.

On Tuesday came more terrible news: Long-time NFL writer Terez Paylor died unexpectedly. He was 37.

Paylor joined Yahoo Sports in 2018 as a senior NFL writer after 12 years at the Kansas City Star.

Paylor was a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and held a vote for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He also was an active member of the Kansas City Association of Black Journalists and served as a frequent speaker during the organization’s urban student journalism academy.

Paylor, a Detroit native, graduated from Howard University with a degree in print journalism.

“While we are shocked and saddened by Terez Paylor’s sudden passing, we also celebrate his extraordinary life that touched so many,” longtime girlfriend and fiancee Ebony Reed wrote in a statement to Yahoo Sports. “Terez was an exceptional journalist whose passion for football made him a respect voice. His legacy will leave an enduring impact on sports journalism, the NFL, the Kansas City Chiefs and their fans.

“More important, Terez was a devoted son, grandson, brother, an adoring fiancee and a wonderful friend to so many. To know him was to love him. He will be dearly missed.”

There was an outpouring of grief on social media among NFL reporters.

“Terez epitomized what it meant to be a football writer,” the PFWA said in a statement. “He loved the game and the grind. He built and maintained relationships across the NFL, and he was a tremendous friend and mentor to so many of his fellow reporters.”

We send our condolences to the friends and family of Paylor.