Former Baltimore Ravens running back Lorenzo Taliaferro died Wednesday in his hometown of Williamsburg, Virginia, according to the York-Poquoson Sheriff’s Office. He was 28.
Taliaferro was transported at 3:30 p.m. ET to Riverside Doctors’ Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. A family member told WBFF-TV Fox45 in Baltimore that Taliaferro died of a heart attack.
A fourth-round draft pick by Baltimore in 2014, Taliaferro ran for 339 yards and scored five touchdowns in 19 games for the Ravens from 2014 to 2016. He struggled to stay on the field, ending each of his three seasons on injured reserve.
Taliaferro’s career in Baltimore got off to a rocky start. Three weeks after getting drafted by the Ravens, Taliaferro was arrested in Williamsburg for disorderly conduct and public drunkenness after allegedly breaking the window of a taxicab. In one of his first practices afterward, Taliaferro ran 18 gassers with Ravens coach John Harbaugh as punishment.
In his third NFL game, Taliaferro gained what would become a career-high 91 yards in a 23-21 victory in Cleveland.
“I did everything all week to prepare and make sure I was ready when my name was called,” Taliaferro said after the game.
In 2017, Taliaferro switched to fullback but was waived before the start of the regular season. After a year out of football, he tried to make it with the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats as a defensive player in 2018 but was cut after the preseason.
Before joining the Ravens, Taliaferro was a standout at Coastal Carolina. In 2013, he ran for 1,729 yards and 27 touchdowns and was named the Big South Offensive Player of the Year.