NFL star Ryan Mallett’s girlfriend shares heartbreaking tribute after drowning death

‘I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you, and I hope you know how hard I tried,’ Madison Carter wrote in a touching social media post

The girlfriend of former NFL star Ryan Mallett who drowned while swimming in the Gulf of Mexico last week has expressed her regret at not being able to “save” him.

Madison Carter was reportedly on vacation with the former New England Patriots quarterback when he drowned in an accident near Destin, on the Florida panhandle coast, on 27 June.

“I prayed for you for 27 years, and we finally found each other,” Ms Carter wrote on Facebook.

“I trust that God has a plan for everything, but I don’t think I will ever understand why this happened. I’m so sorry I couldn’t save you, and I hope you know how hard I tried.”

Mallett got into trouble while attempting to swim to a sandbar around 150 feet (46 metres) from the beach near to Gulf Shores Drive at about 2.15pm last Tuesday, the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said.

Lifeguards rushed to his aid and pulled him from the water unresponsive. Body camera video also showed law enforcement officers running to the scene as bystanders watched on.

Ryan Mallett’s girlfriend Madison Carter has released a heartbreaking tribute on social media after his drowning death (Madison Carter / Facebook)

Mallett, from Arkansas, was later pronounced dead at hospital.

“Misconceptions” that Mallett had been caught in a rip tide were later rebuffed by Sheriff Eric Aden.

“It just seems to be a tragic accident and not something to do with the conditions of the surf or tides or currents,” he said last week.

Mallett spent five seasons in the NFL as a backup quarterback for the Patriots, the Houston Texans and the Baltimore Ravens.

Ryan Mallett spent five seasons in the NFL as a backup quarterback (Associated Press)

He later moved into coaching and was the head football coach at White Hall High School in Fayetteville, Arkansas, at the time of his death.

On Facebook, Ms Carter, a medical student, praised the 35-year-old’s passion and dedication to his sports career, and his selfless nature.

“I hope you know how loved you are. By myself, your amazing family, your friends, your teammates, your students, and countless others. I don’t know how I’ll ever get past this. But I’m so honored to love you and be loved by you,” she wrote.

Ms Carter said her partner for had a heart that “was even bigger than your larger-than-life personality and stature”.

She wrote that the couple loved each other “fiercely” and had been planning their lives together.

“I can never thank you enough for loving me the way that you did. In such a short time, you showed me the love I have prayed for my entire life,” she continued.

“We were just getting started. I’m sure some think we’re crazy for feeling the way we did about each other in such a short time. I thought we were crazy at first too. But you helped me understand that when two souls connect the way ours did, love has no set timeline.”

Ms Carter said she didn’t know how she would “ever get past this”.