Former Texans President Jamey Rootes Dies After Mental Health Battle

It was revealed on Monday evening that former Houston Texans team president Jamey Rootes had sadly passed away after a battle with mental health issues.

Rootes joined the Texans in 2001 prior to their inaugural season. Initially serving as the team's senior vice president of marketing, in 2005 he became team president - a role which he filled up until his resignation in February this year.

The McNair ownership family released the following statement:

Rootes helped to guide the Texans from the league's freshest face to the 10th most profitable team as of 2020, according to Forbes.

Upon his decision to step aside this year, the Texans said he wished to follow his interests as a writer, public speaker, consultant, and professor at the University of Houston.

"I think the organization is in a great place from a business perspective," Rootes told The Chronicle back in February. "We’ve got a great leadership team. I thought the time was right for me to do something different."

Tributes to Rootes from around the league began pouring out on social media immediately following the news.

While Rootes' cause of death has not been officially revealed, his wife Melissa Wildgen Rootes stated on her Facebook page that he had been suffering from mental health issues before his passing on Sunday.