Yahoo Sports reporter Terez Paylor is dead at 37: ‘Shocked and saddened’
'To know him was to love him. He will be dearly missed.'
Terez Paylor, a senior NFL writer for Yahoo Sports, has died at the age of 37, his fiancée Ebony Reed said Tuesday.
“While we are shocked and saddened by Terez Paylor’s sudden passing, we also celebrate his extraordinary life that touched so many,” Reed said in a statement, per PEOPLE.
“Terez was an exceptional journalist whose passion for football made him a respected voice. His legacy will leave an enduring impact on sports journalism, the NFL, the Kansas City Chiefs, and their fans,” Reed continued. “More important, Terez was a devoted son, grandson, brother, an adoring fiancé, and a wonderful friend to so man. To know him was to love him. He will be dearly missed.”
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Paylor’s cause of death has not been revealed.
Yahoo Sports shared Reed’s statement on its Twitter page, along with the caption: “It is with a heavy heart that we announce that our beloved friend, colleague and Yahoo Sports journalist Terez Paylor has passed away.”
Prior to joining Yahoo Sports in 2018, the Howard University graduate worked as a sports reporter for the Kansas City Star.
Kansas City Star columnist Sam Mellinger wrote that “Terez’s genius had nothing to do with turning a phrase. … He knew football and the people who loved it. He built and executed a plan that quickly made him one of America’s best football beat writers — an enormously competitive field.”
Paylor was a senior writer for Yahoo Sports at the time of his death.
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“We are heartbroken to learn that our friend and teammate Terez Paylor has passed away,” Johnny Ludden, Yahoo Sports Editor-in-Chief, said in a statement. “Terez was a dogged, thoughtful reporter to many who knew him in the NFL. To us, he was a friend who always had a warm smile and a kind word.
“He cared deeply about his family, was passionate about his work and remained intensely proud of his Detroit and Kansas City roots. Our sympathy is with Terez’s family and everyone who knew and cared about him.”
Paylor was a member of the Pro Football Writers of America, the National Association of Black Journalists and a voting member for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, according to the report.
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