Lorenzo Taliaferro, a former Baltimore Ravens runner, died Wednesday in his hometown of Williamsburg, Virginia, according to the York-Poquoson sheriff’s office. He was 28 years old.
Taliaferro was transported at 3:30 pm ET to Riverside Medical Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. A family member told WBFF-TV Fox45 in Baltimore that Taliaferro died of a heart attack.
A fourth-round draft pick for Baltimore in 2014, Taliaferro ran 339 yards and scored five touchdowns in 19 games for the Ravens from 2014 to 2016. He struggled to stay on the field, finishing each of his three seasons in the injured reserve.
Taliaferro’s career in Baltimore began with a rocky start. Three weeks after being recruited by the Ravens, Taliaferro was arrested in Williamsburg for disorderly conduct and public intoxication after allegedly breaking the window of a taxi. In one of his first subsequent practices, Taliaferro directed 18 gasers with Ravens coach John Harbaugh as punishment.
In his third NFL game, Taliaferro won what would become a 91-yard high in a 23-21 victory over Cleveland.
“I did everything all week to get ready and make sure I was ready when my name was called,” Taliaferro said after the match.
In 2017, Taliaferro moved to the side, but was resigned before the start of the regular season. After a year out of football, he tried to get it with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL as a defensive player in 2018, but was cut after the preseason.
Before joining the Ravens, Taliaferro excelled in Coastal Carolina. In 2013, he ran 1,729 yards and 27 touchdowns and was named the best offensive player of the year in the South.