 LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- In recent months, former WDRB columnist Rick Bozich and Rondale Moore had been sharing space at a physical therapy facility, Moore rehabbing a knee, Bozich healing an ankle.
Bozich said they talked whenever both were there. He remembered Moore as kind and approachable, not someone who would big-time anybody.
When the news broke Saturday that Moore had died of a suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound, Bozich said he was speechless.
"This is devastating," he posted later on X. "He was kind, thoughtful, considerate to everybody. Praying for his family, friends, teammates and the folks who worked with him on his recovery."
The football world spent Saturday absorbing the news that Moore, the New Albany native who became one of college football's most electric players at Purdue before a five-year NFL career, died at 25.
The grief was immediate and, in places, raw.
Wide receiver Hollywood Brown, a former Arizona Cardinals teammate, posted what sounded less like a tribute than a conversation cut short: "Bro ain't no way brotha you just messaged me a few hours ago. … You wasn't alone bro. I told you I know how you feel."
Jonathan Greenard, who played at Louisville while Moore was starring at Trinity and later joined him in Minnesota, wrote simply: "Bro what in the world? Cmon Rondale you was gon comeback n prove em wrong."
Moore's coaches reached for the details you remember about someone, not statistics, but presence. Jeff Brohm, who recruited Moore out of Trinity and coached him at Purdue, called Moore “a complete joy to coach.”
"Rondale had a work ethic unmatched by anyone," Brohm wrote. "A great teammate that would come through in any situation. We all loved Rondale, we loved his smile and competitive edge that always wanted to please everyone he came in contact with."
Those who played against him remembered something different, the particular shock of facing him on a field. Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders recalled Moore as a freshman at Purdue and said the comparison came to him immediately: "That's the coldest dude I've ever been on a field with, up to that point. He was like Tyreek Hill."
Moore arrived at Purdue in 2018 and announced himself in his first game with 313 all-purpose yards, a school record. He finished that season with more than 2,000 all-purpose yards and 13 touchdowns, earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors, won the Paul Hornung Award as the nation's most versatile player, and delivered one of the year's signature moments — 252 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns in Purdue's upset of No. 2 Ohio State. He was a consensus All-American.
The Arizona Cardinals selected him in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft. He flashed the same game-breaking ability — a 77-yard touchdown reception in his rookie year suggested what was possible — but injuries eroded his career. He later played for the Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings.
Before all of it, there was Trinity, where Moore helped the Shamrocks to an undefeated season and the 2017 Kentucky Class 6A state championship.
"Awful news about Rondale," new Kentucky coach Will Stein wrote. "Fellow Trinity brother and just a wonderful person. So sad."
News of Moore’s passing was noted from posts by the Vikings and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.
JJ Watt, a former Arizona teammate, posted, “Can’t even begin to fathom or process this. There’s just no way. Way too soon. Way too special. So much left to give. Rest in Peace Rondale.”
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