The unexpected death at 22 of Florida International University LB Luke Knox was announced Thursday, reported Adam Rittenberg for ESPN. The Tennessee native and younger brother of Buffalo Bills TE Dawson Knox spent the past four seasons at Ole Miss prior to transferring to FIU. Apparently, he died Wednesday evening, reported the school officials. Currently, the enigma surrounding the cause continues to linger, evoking a multitude of unanswered questions within the realm of inquiry. However, the police don’t suspect any foul play of any sort regarding the death. Shortly after the news was broken to the public, FIU head coach Mike MacIntyre released a statement.
“We are saddened by the passing of our teammate and friend, Luke Knox,” said Coach Mike MacIntyre of FIU. I coached Luke at Ole Miss and FIU. I admired his dedication to football, and his genuine love for his family and teammates will always be cherished. Luke had a unique ability to make everyone feel at ease and empowered.
One can assume, that the relationship between Knox and MacIntrye was extremely special. In 2019, MacIntyre coached him back at Ole Miss serving as the defensive coordinator. While Knox contributed mainly on special teams; he only started two games for Ole Miss at LB their relationship was much bigger than football. Last season, he recorded 11 tackles, and two of those tackles were for a loss.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Luke’s family, friends, and teammates during this challenging time,” stated FIU athletics. “Our coaches and support staff have been reaching out to our football family.”They will continue to do so to ensure our student-athletes have the support they need.”
FIU Community Mourns Knox
All of the FIU players were alerted of Knox’s on Wednesday. Naturally, the following practice was canceled. Ultimately, this gave people time to grieve. The team took therapeutic measures bringing in counselors to assist those who were close to him in their grieving process. Many hurting about the news, Knox’s old HC at Ole Miss, Lane Kiffin, expressed his emotions and thoughts via Twitter.
🙏🧎♂️💙@OleMissFB @FIUFootball pic.twitter.com/ofif6Hbyyj
— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) August 18, 2022
“I’m truly grateful for the time I spent with Luke and our personal connection,” expressed Kiffin. “He was an incredible teammate and an even better person who uplifted everyone in his presence.”
