Ex-NFL Wide Receiver Charles Rogers Dead at 38

Multiple media outlets have reported the passing away of former Michigan State star Charles Rogers, he was only 38 years old.

NTD Newsroom

Published: 11/11/2019, 10:57:52 AM EST

Ex-NFL Wide Receiver Charles Rogers Dead at 38 — Charles Rogers of the Detroit Lions poses for his 2005 NFL headshot at photo day in Detroit, Michigan. (Getty Images)

Multiple media outlets have reported the passing away of former Michigan State star Charles Rogers. He was only 38 years old.

The cause of death has not yet been revealed.

Rogers was the No. 2 overall pick of the 2003 NFL Draft. He had a bright career ahead of him, but suffered two collarbone injuries, essentially ending his career in 2006.

His former Michigan State teammate Chris Baker confirmed his death.

“Devastated to learn of the passing of my spartan brother Charles (Rogers),” Baker wrote on Twitter. “Spoke with his mom this morning. Please pray for her and his children. Please also be respectful of their privacy at this difficult time. Rip Chuck.”

His former coach at Saginaw High, Don Durrett said Rogers was the best athlete he had ever seen.

“I’ll tell you, he was—and I’m including Flint, too, since I coached at Flint Northern all those years—he’s the best athlete I ever seen. I mean, honestly,” Durett told the Detroit Free Press. “We’re talking about basketball, football, and track together. He could have had a scholarship in all three sports. That’s how good. ...I haven’t seen nobody that fast that could do it all. He was just a blessed athlete that could do it all.”

NFL Ratings Increase, Coinciding With End of Colin Kaepernick Controversy

An article from the Hollywood Reporter revealed that NFL ratings have surged in recent years, revealing possible reasons why.

“Linear ratings for the [NFL] hit a multiyear bottom in 2017, prompting a rash of speculation about whether pro football’s stranglehold atop the Nielsen charts was coming to an end,” the news outlet said.

Through the first six weeks of the 2019 season, the league’s fortunes have changed.

“NFL games across all its television partners are averaging about 16.3 million viewers, up 3 percent from last season’s average of 15.8 million. Since hitting a low for this decade of 15 million viewers in 2017, viewership has climbed 9 percent and is on par with the 2016 season (16.5 million),” THR stated.

Colin Kaepernick #7 and Eric Reid #35 of the San Francisco 49ers kneel in protest during the national anthem prior to playing the Los Angeles Rams in their NFL game at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, Calif., on Sept. 12, 2016. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) — Colin Kaepernick #7 and Eric Reid #35 of the San Francisco 49ers kneel in protest during the national anthem prior to playing the Los Angeles Rams in their NFL game at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, Calif., on Sept. 12, 2016. Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

It suggested that a growth in fantasy sports, more scoring, the emergence of stars like Patrick Mahomes and Baker Mayfield, and legalized gambling have contributed to the surge.

But the report also suggested that former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick could have contributed to the multi-year decline in ratings.

The NFL, it said, is “no longer being the culture-war battleground that it became in 2016 and 2017 thanks to Colin Kaepernick,” whose national anthem protests became a lightning rod for scorn. During that time, a number of people threatened to boycott games and merchandise.

"If the conversation around football is primarily about the game, then we're probably winning," Michael Mulvihill, an executive with Fox Sports, told the Hollywood Reporter. He didn’t mention Kaepernick, but he suggested that the NFL will probably see a decline in ratings if people are focusing on things outside of the game itself.

The Epoch Times reporter Jack Phillips contributed to this report.