New details surface about NFL quarterback Ryan Mallett's drowning in Gulf of Mexico

New details have emerged about the tragic drowning of Ryan Mallett, a former NFL quarterback who died Tuesday while swimming off the Florida Panhandle coast in the Gulf of Mexico.

In a videotaped statement released Wednesday, Okaloosa County Sherriff Eric Aden said the heartbreaking incident had nothing to do with riptides, contrary to early speculation.

“The tragic loss of life, it’s always difficult when we lose a tourist or resident here, but we have no indication here of any dangerous conditions out there,” Sheriff Eric Aden said in a videotaped statement Wednesday.

“The entire Okaloosa County, as well as Destin, we’re not under red flags or double red flags despite some of the misperceptions out there.”

“We were under a yellow flag, which is just swim with caution,” he continued. “It just seems to be a tragic accident and not something to do with the conditions of the surf or tides or currents.”

Reports indicate that Mallett’s drowning started out as a struggle in which he tried to reach a second sandbar, estimated at 150 feet from the Gulf Shores Drive beach about 2:15 p.m.

Lifeguards who spotted the star athlete struggling jumped into action and tried to save him as they noticed he was submerging into the water, but when they reached him and got him to shore, he wasn’t breathing, according to police.

Mallett was pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.

His life ended as he was beginning a happy new stage of his life in which he was coaching high school students and had just started a new relationship with blue eyed blonde stunner, Madison Carter, an area nurse. 

Newly released body cam footage from the county sheriff’s office depicts a police officer running toward the beach scene amid bystanders who watched the tragedy unfold before their eyes.

“I think they got him on the board now,” the officer was told by a colleague when he reached the scene.

Additional footage only showed a slew of first responders’ vehicles, including an ambulance, responding to the scene.

Mallett, an Batesville, Arkansas native who was 35 years old, previously played in the NFL for five seasons, including for the Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans and New England Patriots where he partnered up with superstar Tom Brady.

He was originally a draft pick from the University of Arkansas after he transferred from the University of Michigan, and was known to be an astute student who got good grades.

“He lived with great enthusiasm and he could really throw the ball with incredible arm strength,” former University of Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said in a Wednesday report published by the Associated Press. “By the time he was a senior at Arkansas, he was physically mature. You don’t see many guys like him.

At the time of his death, Mallett had decided to pass along his gifts to younger athletes by coaching football at  White Hall High School in Arkansas.

“It is with great sadness that we share the loss of Coach Ryan Mallett,” the Arkansas school said in a statement released to the general public.

“Coach Mallett was a beloved coach and educator. We ask that you remember his family, team, students, fellow coaches, and the White Hall School District staff in your prayers.”

Mallett’s own high school career was memorable. He graduated from Texas High School in Texarkana, and was ranked the No. 2 quarterback in the nation by Rivals.com.

He was also the Gatorade player of the year in 2006. He also participated in the U.S. Army American Bowl in 2007 and won the Glenn Davis Army Award as best player on the West team.