Former Lions WR Charles Rogers Dies At 38 Years

Hi, Lions Nation. Sad news ironically on Veterans Day when former Lions top pick Charles Rogers, the #2 overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft, former Michigan State Spartan, and Fort Myers, FL resident, reportedly died this morning at age 38. Story developing.

Sad

RIP

I’m very sorry to hear this.

May now find peace that he couldn’t here… sad for his death but also who he and many other live… lots of struggles and all that is gone now…

RIP brother! :heart::+1::pray::heart:

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I’m getting a little ticked off at some of the organizations reporting on Rodgers’ death. Most of them just say that he died and then reference his drug addiction, which of course gives the impression that he must have overdosed. They should at least mention that people close to him have said he had cancer and needed a liver transplant. Maybe that isn’t official, but I think it would be more fair to him and those mourning his death.

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Rogers is a year older than me but we were in H.S. in Saginaw at the same time. He was a star. Kids wanted to be him. The attention he got was unlike anything I had seen. The pure raw talent was just incredible. Just dominated sports. He went from a rock star in the area to someone people told jokes about. I felt bad for him. He’s a good guy who lived a complicated life.

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Very sad! RIP Charles

His name often appears on “Biggest Busts in NFL Draft History” lists.

Imagine having mental health issues like depression, drug addiction, a failed dream career in the public eye, and seeing this albatross any time your name in mentioned.

It’s bad enough to lose your dream but to have the loss so publicly and the ridicule of such a list haunting you. Even the thought of his experience makes my heart feel heavy.

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I’m not sure how he acted in Saginaw, but at MSU many of us had the same experience meeting him…just a cool, down to earth dude. My brother used to smoke and play video games with him.

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He’s been a sad story. No surprise it has a sad ending.
Tragic.

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Thank you both for your personal experiences and perspectives. As a fan it’s hard to know what these guys are really like.

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Yeah, he was the same way. Really good with younger kids too who flocked to him when he was really still a kid himself.

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Yeah, I know he’s been the butt of many jokes on this board but it’s really quite sad to see someone with so much deal with demons that the rest of us could never know. I can only pray that he rests peacefully and those around him have comfort.

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Poor guy probably had a “shit happens” cancer with how young he was. I used to see that all the time in my last job, people around his age who had advanced cancer at diagnosis because they don’t usually do routine screenings for young adults. It’s rare, so even their doctors aren’t thinking it could be cancer like they might with an older patient. We saw a young woman who was incidentally diagnosed with advanced colon cancer during a c-section. She died less a year later. It was the cancer equivalent of getting struck by lightening.

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Jesus, what was your last job?

I did new patient prep and scheduling in an oncology clinic. It was a pretty grim job at times.

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