FRISCO, Texas – Former NFL running back Marion Barber III, who played six of his seven seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, was found dead in his Texas apartment on Wednesday, authorities said. He was 38.
Frisco police said Wednesday that officers responded to a welfare call at an apartment owned by Barber, but had no other information, KXAS-TV reported.
“Frisco Police responded to a welfare concern at an apartment believed to be leased by Marion Barber,” police spokesperson Joshua Lovell told the Star-Telegram of Fort Worth. “Frisco Police, along with the Collin County Medical Examiner’s Office, are investigating an unattended death at the location.”
The Cowboys released a statement Wednesday, saying they were “heartbroken” by Barber’s death.
“Marion was an old-school, hard-nosed football player who ran with the will to win every down,” the team said. “He had a passion for the game and love for his coaches and teammates. Our hearts go out to Marion’s family and friends during this difficult time.”
Barber played for the Cowboys from 2005 to 2010 and was named to the Pro Bowl in 2007, according to Pro-Football Reference.com. He led the Cowboys with 975 yards rushing and scored 10 touchdowns.
Barber was released by the Cowboys after the 2010 season, ESPN reported. He played the 2011 season with the Chicago Bears. He finished his career with 4,780 rushing yards and 53 touchdowns, according to Pro-Football Reference.com. He also caught 179 passes for 1,330 yards and six touchdowns.
Barber was a fourth-round pick for the Cowboys out of the University of Minnesota, The Dallas Morning News reported. He led Dallas in rushing for three consecutive seasons, according to the newspaper.
He retired after the 2011 season.
Barber’s father, Marion Barber Jr., was a 1981 second-round pick of the New York Jets and played for seven seasons, the Morning News reported. Marion Barber III’s brother, Dominique Barber, was a sixth-round pick of the Houston Texas in 2008, according to the newspaper.
Marion Barber III was detained by police in Mansfield, Texas, in 2014 and given a mental health evaluation, ESPN reported. In October 2019, he was arrested by police in Prosper, Texas, on two misdemeanor counts of criminal mischief, the Morning News reported.
