Ten years ago — not almost 10 years ago … exactly 10 years ago — Rondale Moore posted a tweet and pinned it to the top of his Twitter page. It read:
Note to self: Be patient.
That was Feb. 21, 2016.
Ten years later — not almost 10 years later … exactly 10 years later — Rondale Moore died. A suspected self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to the New Albany (Ind.) Police Department. He was 25.
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More: Rondale Moore’s Purdue legacy of relentless strength will endure
For people all over Indiana, that news — it broke Saturday night and spread across social media, becoming one of Twitter’s most-discussed topics in the country — was stunning, tragic. Moore grew up in New Albany and while he graduated from Trinity High in Louisville, he played as a sophomore on New Albany’s Class 2016 state championship basketball team.
A teammate on that championship team, one of his best friends — a teammate on youth football and basketball teams, and a neighbor who lived five houses down the street — was future Boston Celtics lottery pick Romeo Langford.
In 2018 Moore arrived as a freshman receiver on the Purdue football team, and needed exactly one game to set a team record for all-purpose yards in a game. As a true freshman he was a first-team All-American and the winner of the 2018 Paul Hornung Award, given to the most versatile player in the country. Two years later Moore entered the 2021 NFL Draft and was selected in the second round by the Arizona Cardinals with the 49th overall pick.
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Moore was quiet, reserved. Shy, you could call him. He didn’t enjoy talking with reporters, and not because he was surly. He just knew reporters were going to ask him about a topic he’d prefer not to discuss: Rondale Moore. He had greatness and he had humility, a winning combination in any walk of life….
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