NFL star's father killed after £2.4m house explodes as teammates offer support

22 August 2023 , 20:45

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Caleb Farley lost his father after a an explosion at his £2.4million home (Image: 2021 Wesley Hitt)

An explosion that occurred at the house of Tennessee Titans cornerback Caleb Farley has killed the player's father, Robert, Iredell County Fire Marshal's Office confirmed.

The explosion happened overnight and another person on site was taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The cause of the explosion is not yet known, and a Titans spokesperson told The Tennessean that Farley was not home at the time.

Queen City News reported that neighbours claimed to have smelt gas around midnight, hours before the explosion destroyed the £2.4 million home. Farley was at the home with his family on Tuesday morning, and is cooperating with the authorities while grieving the terrible incident.

The 6,391 square foot home that Farley paid £1.61m for last year "is a total loss,” the Iredell County Emergency Management claims in a release via USA TODAY. Kent Greene, who is a spokesperson for the Marshal's Office told T MZ that an investigation is underway and they're looking at natural gas lines on the property.

Farley's house was reduced to rubble after the explosion

Farley was a 2021 first-round draft pick, and the 24-year-old has shown great strength making it to the NFL after his mother died of breast cancer five years ago. Another tragedy has now occurred, with his Titans teammates offering full support.

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The Titans held a practice session on Tuesday, and some of the players spoke out about Farley once training had concluded. "I found out early this morning," safety Kevin Byard said to reporters.

"Tragic. I mean, I lost my mother last year, unexpectedly. So, I mean, I still couldn't imagine, you know, the type of grief that he's going through right now. I shot him in a text this morning to tell him, you know, I'm thinking about him, praying for him.

Farley's team-mates are looking out for him after another tragedy (2021 Getty Images)

"And, you know, Caleb's a big believer. He has a lot of faith, and I just kind of told him to lean into his faith as hard as he's ever done before. I know he lost his mother at a young age as well. So he's dealt with a lot of adversity as well, so it's just very tragic."

Fellow Titans cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting also reached out, as running back Derrick Henry spoke to reporters about his team-mate too. "You know, just praying for Caleb," he said. "I was actually just- we were probably the last ones in the locker room last night, just hanging around.

"But, you know, I just found out the news. Praying for him and keeping him in our prayers. And praying for his family. Send my condolences; we all send out condolences; it's a tragic situation." Head coach Mike Vrabel also mentioned Farley during his press conference, concluding: "What's most important is that we do everything we can to support him, emotionally."

Joseph McBride