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Major League Soccer Player Anton Walkes Dies at Age 25

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A soccer player with the Charlotte, North Carolina, franchise of Major League Soccer died in a south Florida boating accident, the team announced Thursday.

Anton Walkes, with the Charlotte FC, was found unconscious after two boats collided near Miami Marine Stadium on Wednesday, according to The Miami Herald.

He was 25.

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“We are deeply saddened to share that Anton Walkes has tragically passed away this morning,” Charlotte FC announced in a Twitter post. “May he rest in peace.”

According to the Herald, the collision took place around 3 p.m., and Anton received CPR from Miami Fire Rescue before being rushed to a hospital in critical condition.

According to The Charlotte Observer, Charlotte FC was in Florida for a training camp before the opening of the 2023 season.

The club is owned by David Tepper, owner of Tepper Sports and Entertainment and the NFL’s Carolina Panthers. In a statement, Tepper saluted Anton’s behavior on and off the soccer field.

“He was a tremendous son, father, partner and teammate, whose joyous approach to life touched everyone he met,” the statement said, according to the Herald.

“Anton made those around him better people in all areas of life and represented Charlotte FC to the highest standard both on and off the pitch.”

Before playing in the United States, Walkes played in England for the Tottenham Hotspurs and the Portsmouth Football Club, according to the Observer.

On social media, tributes poured in from Major League Soccer teams, journalists and fans:

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Walkes’ death, though apparently accidental, comes at a time of numerous deaths of young athletes and entertainers around the country, heightening sensitivity to the issue.

According to CBS News, the cause of the collision is under investigation.

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Joe has spent more than 30 years as a reporter, copy editor and metro desk editor in newsrooms in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Florida. He's been with Liftable Media since 2015.
Joe has spent more than 30 years as a reporter, copy editor and metro editor in newsrooms in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Florida. He's been with Liftable Media since 2015. Largely a product of Catholic schools, who discovered Ayn Rand in college, Joe is a lifelong newspaperman who learned enough about the trade to be skeptical of every word ever written. He was also lucky enough to have a job that didn't need a printing press to do it.
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