A prominent pro football writer with Yahoo Sports, Terez Paylor, has died suddenly at age 37.
Mr Paylor’s longtime partner and fiancee, Ebony Reed, said on Tuesday that he had died, and would be dearly missed by both family and pro football sports fans, who followed his NFL reporting.
"While we are shocked and saddened by Terez Paylor's sudden passing, we also celebrate his extraordinary life that touched so many," Ms Reed said in a statement. "Terez was an exceptional journalist whose passion for football made him a respected voice.”
"His legacy will leave an enduring impact on sports journalism, the NFL, the Kansas City Chiefs, and their fans," she continued. "More important, Terez was a devoted son, grandson, brother, an adoring fiancé, and a wonderful friend to so many. To know him was to love him."
Mr Paylor was Yahoo Sport’s senior NFL reporter and hosted the sports outlet’s NFL podcast, The Terez Paylor Show, which released an episode on Monday, the day before his death — and a day after the Super Bowl.
The Kansas City Chiefs, who lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, were covered by Mr Paylor as a reporter at the Kansas City Star, where he spent 12 years before moving to Yahoo Sports in 2018, the outlet reported.
The Chiefs said in a statement on Tuesday that “the news of Terez’s passing is heart wrenching”, and that "He was so young and full of life, he always wanted to do right by people.”
“Many of us in the Chiefs had the opportunity over the years to build a friendship with him, including our players, coaches and staff, and he was an incredible person with the right attitude and integrity," the statement added.
Mr Paylor, who was born in Detroit, was a member of the Pro Football Writers of America body, a voter for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and an active member of the Kansas City Association of Black Journalists, according to NBC News.
