Former NFL defensive lineman Tony Siragusa died Wednesday at the age of 55 . His former teammate, Shannon Sharpe, took to social media to pay his respects.
Sharpe, who played with Siragusa on the 2000 Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens, posted a heartfelt Twitter message reacting to Siragusa’s death.
“I’m heartbroken,” Sharpe said in his video message. “To say this is unexpected would be an understatement of 2022 for me. I’m heartbroken for his family, his wife, his kids, his immediate family, any fans and friends that’s been impacted.”
Sharpe also mentioned how he and Siragusa were both drafted in the same year (1990), and that the last time he saw Siragusa was while the two were filming an ESPN “30 for 30” about the 2000 Ravens.
Their playful relationship was captured in a portion of an episode of HBO’s “Hard Knocks” from 2001 that Sharpe also posted. In the video clip, Sharpe was locked inside a room and believed Siragusa was behind the prank. Siragusa denied involvement, but he broke down laughing after placing blame on Baltimore’s rookies.
Siragusa played for the Indianapolis Colts and Baltimore Ravens in his 12 NFL seasons. He played a key role on defense during Baltimore’s 2000 Super Bowl victory. After retiring in 2001, Siragusa became an NFL sideline broadcaster at Fox, and he even had a brief appearance in “The Sopranos.”
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