Devon Wylie’s death sparks COVID-19 vaccine conspiracy theories

The death of former American professional football player Devon Wylie at just 35 from as yet unknown causes has sparked a conspiracy theory online that it was due to the COVID-19 vaccine.

Wylie was a former NFL wide receiver who played for the Kansas City Chiefs and Tennessee Titans before pursuing a music career.

His death has reignited claims from vaccine skeptics who, without evidence, have linked it to cases of other athletes, or former athletes, who passed away at a relatively young age. Such claims fueled vaccine hesitancy during the COVID-19 pandemic, though vaccine skeptics say they are raising public health concerns.

According to the New York Post and multiple other outlets, his family announced his death earlier this week online, writing: “There are no words to express the sadness that comes from losing a brother, dear friend and an amazing uncle. Devon had so much love and joy to give. Always making people laugh and entertaining us with his football skills, guitar jams, silly jokes and voices, back-flip tricks, fun banter Star Wars obsession chat, Halo nights and not to mention his beautiful smile. We will miss him always.”

Newsweek reached out to Fresno State Bulldogs, Kansas City Chiefs and Tennessee Titans for comment via email on Thursday.

While a cause of death hasn’t been shared, people have come to their own conclusions, with some attributing his death to the COVID-19 vaccine. People have posted theories on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“Ex-NFL star Devon Wylie dies at the age of 35 from unknown causes. When is enough, enough? These sudden deaths have become the new norm. And yet, no one is being held accountable. #vaccinedeaths #DiedSuddenly,” one person wrote.

“Young pro athletes keep dropping dead. You think this is normal? It’s NOT. Never happened in my lifetime- until 2021. Since then…hundreds have dropped dead. If u don’t know why, you’re blind, deaf & very dumb,” said another.

“Anyone notice the increase in very young athletes suffering “death from unknown causes” since P****r & M*****a unleashed their untested biological agent faux-vaccine onto the world? What will history have to say about this? I’d like your opinion,” a third wrote.

A fourth added: “Another ‘died suddenly’ athlete for the list. No cause of death given of course.”

Despite people online believing Wylie was fully vaccinated, it isn’t known whether he had received the COVID-19 vaccine.

Even though Wylie had retired from football before the pandemic started, there is currently no vaccine mandate for players, although the league reported that about 95 percent of the players and nearly 100 percent of team personnel were vaccinated.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that deaths after the COVID-19 vaccination are rare.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires healthcare providers to report any deaths after COVID-19 vaccinations to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), “even if it’s unclear whether the vaccine was the cause.”

More than 672 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines were administered in the U.S. between December 2020 and March 2023, during which time the VAERS received 19,476 preliminary reports of death—approximately 0.0029 percent of those who had the vaccine.

While there has been a rise in the number of people dying even though they had the COVID vaccine and booster, the reasons for the increase are not necessarily a direct result of the vaccination.

They include that a rising share of the population is vaccinated, decreased immune protection and low uptake of boosters, and also changes in immunity among unvaccinated people, according to KFF, a health-policy research organization.

“New variants combined with a reduction in masking and other non-pharmaceutical interventions may also lead to more transmission, which can in turn lead to more deaths,” it wrote on its website.

“During the early rollout of vaccines, vaccinated people represented a small share of total deaths, but experts warned that the share would likely rise simply because vaccinated people were representing a growing share of the population.”

KFF added: “In other words, if 100% of people in the U.S. were vaccinated, vaccinated people would represent 100% of COVID-19 deaths.

“COVID-19 vaccines are very effective at preventing severe illness and death, but they are not perfect, so deaths among vaccinated people will still occur.”

Football Career

Before he decided to go pro, Wylie was a standout receiver and special teams player for Fresno State Bulldogs. In the 2012 draft, the Chiefs selected Wylie in the fourth round, but he was released by the team prior to the start of the 2013 season. For the next three seasons, he spent most of his time with the practice squads of more than a half-dozen teams and after a spell in the Canadian Football League, he pursued a music career.

“Forever a Bulldog,” the Fresno State’s football account wrote on X. “Our thoughts are with the Wylie family during this difficult time.”

Fresno State special teams coordinator John Baxter also wrote on the platform: “I can’t believe this but that said this is a tremendous loss. Being someone’s Coach is a blessing beyond words and a hardwired lifetime relationship. This is a tragic loss beyond words. What a great Bulldog, brother, son and teammate. We love you Devon Wylie! Bulldog Born…”

This is the second death of a former football player that has recently caused conspiracy theorists to blame it on the vaccine. When it was announced on November 8 that Matt Ulrich had died at the age of 41, a cause of death wasn’t given, resulting in people sharing their theories online.