On Wednesday night, Ronnie Hillman, a member of the Denver Broncos’ Super Bowl 50-winning squad, passed away at the age of 31. This was confirmed by his family on social media.
“It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved son, brother & father, Ronnie K Hillman Jr. Ronnie quietly and peacefully transitioned today in the company of his family and close friends,” the post reads.
“We as the family, appreciate the prayers and kind words that have already been expressed. We ask that you would give us time to process our feelings as we prepare to lay our precious RJ to rest. More information will be forthcoming.”
Former Denver defensive lineman Derek Wolfe announced Wednesday that his former teammate Hillman, who played alongside Wolfe in Denver from 2012 to 2015, was in hospice care with a rare form of cancer, renal medullary carcinoma predominantly affects the sickling of the red blood cells and the kidney.
Hillman was diagnosed with the disease in August and had been ill for some time, but his condition had recently turned critical with the addition of liver cancer and pneumonia.
Hillman and Wolfe were part of the Broncos’ 2015 Super Bowl 50 championship-winning team against the Carolina Panthers.
In 2012, Denver chose Hillman in the third round of the NFL Draft from San Diego State. As a first year player he ran for 330 yards and one touchdown, but his 2015 season was his most impressive, gaining 863 yards on the ground, catching 24 passes for 111 yards, and scoring seven times.
His time in the league ended after 2016, when he was with the Chargers and Vikings.