The two-year-old son of former Brigham Young University (BYU) football standout Curtis Brown has died following a drowning incident at the family's home. Haze Brown was pronounced dead at a local hospital on July 26, according to authorities. His parents, Curtis and Kim Brown, and their four other children are mourning the loss.
A family member discovered Haze unresponsive in the home pool and called 911. Emergency responders transported the child to a hospital, where he briefly showed a heartbeat before passing away. The Fresno County Sheriff Coroner's Office confirmed the drowning, and an autopsy is pending, which has impacted funeral arrangements.
"It's an extremely unfortunate situation," said Clovis Police Department spokesman Ty Wood. "Adults should never let children swim unsupervised and should always learn CPR and keep safety and rescue equipment nearby."
The Brown family has received support from friends, family, and the BYU football community. Former Cougars quarterback John Beck shared a link to a GoFundMe page established to help cover funeral costs and other expenses. The page described Haze as the Browns' "miracle baby" and noted the family's "unimaginable loss."
As of Wednesday evening, the GoFundMe had raised nearly $80,000 toward its $100,000 goal. Utah State head coach Bronco Mendenhall, who coached Curtis Brown at BYU, has also reached out to the family, according to friend Chandler Pearson.
Pearson described the family as "completely rocked" and "leaning on each other, their friends, and their faith." He added that Haze "brought so much joy and light to the family."
Curtis Brown left BYU as the school's all-time leading rusher with 3,193 yards. He had a brief stint in NFL training camps but did not make a league roster and now works in pharmaceutical sales in Clovis.