'Caught me by surprise:' Ex-NFL star Vernon Davis doesn't rule out foul play in brother Vontae's death

SOUTHWEST RANCHES, FLORIDA: Former NFL star Vernon Davis is "surprised" over his younger brother Vontae Davis’ unexpected death.

He is eagerly waiting for the autopsy report and shared that his brother did a sauna session and then either slipped or collapsed at his Florida residence.

"This thing definitely caught me by surprise," Vernon told Daily Mail. "I just don't know what to make of it," he added. 

Vernon Davis claims younger brother Vontae Davis seemed 'healthy'

The 40-year-old said Vontae recently looked to be healthy and "never really showed a history of using drugs or anything like that."

When asked whether Vontae's recent attention-deficit disorder diagnosis could be the reason behind his death. 

The elder brother responded, "Maybe that's the case, maybe it's not."  

"We don't really have an answer to that because there is no way to see into our brain while we live. I was at his house two weeks ago and he had a massage therapist there. He had a stretch therapist, a chiropractor, you name it," said Vernon, who has played 14 seasons on the 49ers, Redskins, and Broncos.

Police have already ruled out any wrongdoing, since there were no signs of a break-in at the $4 million home in Southwest Ranches where Vontae, a retired Buffalo Bills cornerback, was found unresponsive in a gym on Monday, April 1.

"I'm leaning on the detectives to figure it out but right now we have no answers. They are going to run tests and they said they'll get back to us," Vernon told the outlet.

"It could be as long as a month, a month and a half until we know anything," Vernon noted.

Vontae Davis was found intoxicated after car crash in 2023

Vontae in 2023 passed out on a highway next to his destroyed Tesla from a crash into a truck, TMZ reported. As per footage, he was seen lying on the roadside, where he stayed asleep until police reached the crash scene.

After being admitted to the hospital, the star player admitted to having two "mixed drinks" before driving and couldn’t recall anything about the accident. He was convicted of reckless driving, and the ex-footballer was sentenced to a year's probation and 50 hours of community service.

In an earlier interview, Vernon opened up about a "tough background" before making it to the NFL.

"We were four years apart but I remember waking him up to do workouts when he was young and I was in high school. I made him do it because I wanted him to succeed even more than I wanted myself to succeed," Vernon said. "I could not have picked a better little brother."