Former Arizona Cardinals safety Lassiter will be missed

Former Arizona Cardinals safety Kwamie Lassiter passed away on Sunday at the age of 49

Not only was former Arizona Cardinals safety Kwamie Lassiter special on the field, he was special off of it.  On Sunday, we lost that special individual.

It was a shock when we heard it.  We saw former Arizona Cardinals kicker Jay Feely tweet that he had just texted him earlier in the day.  Lassiter was talking to him about the Los Angeles Chargers-Baltimore Ravens game that Feely was helping to cover for CBS Sports.

Then early in the evening we got the news he passed away.  Life can be taken in an instant.  Kawmie was a guy Cardinals fans loved in an instant.

Lassiter, who played with the Cardinals from 1995 until 2002, will always be remembered for helping the Cardinals secure their first playoff berth in the desert.  He had four interceptions on December 27, 1998 against the San Diego Chargers, a game which the Cardinals won 16-13 to gain the sixth seed in the NFC Playoffs.

He was more than just that game though.  He had eight interceptions overall in that 1998 season.  That wasn’t even his best season.  He had nine interceptions in 2001.

He spent his last two seasons with the San Diego Chargers and the St. Louis Rams, retiring in 2004.  But he will always be remembered as a Cardinal.

Since his playing days, Lassiter did so much for the community.  He ran the Kwamie Lassiter Foundation, which according to their mission, spends time promoting awareness to healthy lifestyles.

So many fans, media, players, and former players took to Twitter and Facebook on Sunday night to pay their respects to a man admired by many.  Who knows why he left us at such a young age but I feel lucky and grateful to have watched him play and watched what he did for others.

This one is tough mainly since it happened so fast.  We send our condolences to the Lassiter family.  Now there is a huge void in the world.  He will be missed terribly.