Former NFL Punter Kasey Redfern Dies at 35 After Cancer Battle

Kasey Redfern, a former NFL punter who played for multiple teams, died Tuesday at the age of 35 after a battle with cancer that began in 2023. His wife, Lauryl, announced on September 26th that he had been moved to hospice care.

Redfern signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2014 as an undrafted free agent out of Wofford College. He subsequently had contracts with seven different teams, including the San Diego Chargers, Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys, and Atlanta Falcons. He appeared in four NFL regular season games, making his debut with the Lions in 2017.

In 2023, Redfern was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor and CNS lymphoma. His wife shared a heartfelt Facebook post on his 35th birthday detailing the difficult final days of his health struggle. She explained that they had decided to transition to hospice care due to cognitive decline caused by neurotoxicity from his treatments over the past 3.5 years, noting that his brain had endured all it could.

"His poor brain has had all it can take treatment wise so we want to make sure that he can be as comfortable as possible," Lauryl Redfern wrote. "It’s been a really hard few weeks with this extreme decline. He’s still home and able to be home and could still have a lot more time with us, but we just can’t give him anymore treatment and unfortunately this decline is irreversible accept by another miracle from the Lord which we are still of course praying for."

She expressed gratitude and peace, anticipating his potential healing and a future in glory. Redfern and his wife had two sons, Ollie and Logan. Tributes have poured in for Redfern, with former college roommate Rob Greene calling him a "great man, husband, father, and friend." Mike Smith, who knew Redfern from Wofford, described him as a "true warrior and a good man" who fought his fight with grace and thankfulness.