Ronyell Whitaker, an American football player who played as a cornerback in the National Football League and for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, died on February 21, 2026.
He was 46. Whitaker played college football for the Virginia Tech Hokies and entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with Tampa Bay in 2003.
He later played for the Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League before retiring from professional football in 2010. Whitaker was born in Norfolk, Virginia, and graduated from Lake Taylor High School.
Ronyell Deshawn Whitaker (March 19, 1979 – February 21, 2026) was an American professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Virginia Tech Hokies and was signed by the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2003. Whitaker played for the Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, and the Canadian Football League (CFL)’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers before retiring from professional football in 2010.