BLACKSBURG (WSLS 10) – Former Virginia Tech football player Keion Carpenter passed away Thursday morning.
Carpenter's family says he collapsed while on vacation in Miami and remained in a coma for 24 hours before passing away this morning.
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During his career at Virginia Tech, he started for three seasons at free safety, and while he played well there, he became more noted as a weapon on Tech's special teams.
Carpenter graduated in the spring of 1999 with a degree in residential property management.
He signed with the Buffalo Bills in the spring of 1999 and played three seasons and later played three seasons with the Atlanta Falcons.
"Keion was one of the rocks around which we built our program at Virginia Tech in the 1990s," Beamer said in a statement released by the Tech strategic communications department. "He was a tenacious punt blocker and a relentless player on defense. More importantly, he had a heart of gold. His work with The Carpenter House and other charitable organizations to help those in need truly embodied the Virginia Tech spirit. Our condolences to Keion's family on the loss of a great Hokie."
You can read the full release from Hokiesports here.