Dahrran Diedrick dead: Former Washington RB passes away at 44, cause of death revealed

Former Washington running back Dahrran Diedrick has passed away at the age of 44 after a battle with cancer. His death was announced by the Montreal Alouettes through his family, a team with whom he won two Grey Cups in the CFL.

Born in Jamaica and raised in Toronto, Diedrick attended the University of Nebraska, where he starred as a running back for the Cornhuskers. He was the first Canadian student-athlete to receive a scholarship from the program.

Following his college career, he was initially selected in the practice squad of the San Diego Chargers in 2003, before being picked up by the Green Bay Packers in 2004.

However, his only NFL appearance came as a member of the Washington franchise, where he played one regular season game. He moved north of the border in 2005, joining the Canadian Football League, and he had great success there, winning three Grey Cup Championships there.

Dahrran Diedrick became a CFL legend after leaving Washington and the NFL

After leaving Washington, Dahrran Diedrick signed with the Edmonton Eskimos in the CFL. In 2005, while playing for them, he won his first Grey Cup. But he was a bit part player at the time and was released in 2006. He would go on to join the team they defeated in the final, the Montreal Alouettes.

It was with them that he found the most consistent success, remaining with them until 2013. During that period, he won the Grey Cup twice again in 2009 and 2010. In 2013, he played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats before returning for one final season in 2014 in Montreal. Dahrran Diedrick ran for 872 yards on 179 carries with six touchdowns over 130 CFL regular-season games.

It was during that time that he had his first health scare. He was diagnosed with Hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma. In 2015, he was found with an enlarged spleen. He had to undergo multiple rounds of chemotherapy to overcome his issues.

The condition he was diagnosed with has no known cure, except with a stem cell transplant. Thankfully, his daughter Dominique could act as a donor.

His initial treatment was successful and he finally was well enough to return to the game in 2017. He served as the strength and conditioning coach for the Toronto Argonauts this season.

However, over the long term, he could not avoid the health complications that arose from cancer. He passed away at the Toronto General Hospital on June 24th, 2023.