Marvin Jones Jr. Has a History of Personal Tragedy After Losing His Son in 2019

The Gist:

• On Oct. 24, 2023, Marvin Jones Jr. announced that he would be leaving the Detroit Lions to deal with an unspecified family matter.
• In 2019, Marvin lost his infant son Marlo.
• Marvin continued to play for the Lions and openly discussed how grief had influenced him.

On Oct. 24, 2023, news broke that Marvin Jones Jr., an NFL wide receiver for the Detroit Lions, would be stepping away from the team in order to deal with a family matter. Following this news, many recalled that this wasn't the first time that Marvin had had to deal with issues in his family.

Back in 2019, Marvin suffered one of the greatest losses a person can experience, and following his recent announcement, many wanted to learn more about what happened to Marvin's son Marlo, and how he handled it at the time.

In December 2019, Marvin posted on Instagram that his youngest son Marlo had died at just six months old. The exact reason for Marlo's death has never been fully explained, but Marvin's tribute to his son made it clear how much he and his wife Jazmyn loved him.

"Yesterday the Lord called home a piece of my family's heart, Marlo," he wrote. "It is hard to believe that our little angel, our fighter from day one, our son 'Marlito' has unfortunately passed away and is no longer here with us."

"We didn't get to see you run with your brothers and sister, you ran with them with your eyes everyday," the statement continued. "We know that everything that we do from here on out will be with you. Every step we take, you will be with us. Whenever we have a bad day, we will think of your smile. We miss you already buddy and will forever love you. Rest peacefully our sweet baby boy. You have gained your wings."

In a statement released on Instagram on Oct. 24, Marvin said that he would be leaving the Detroit Lions in order to deal with a family matter.

"I just want to say that I have so much love and respect for the Ford Family, the city of Detroit, my teammates and coaches," he wrote. "To be brief, I am stepping away from the team to take care of personal family matters. Although this was no easy decision, I cannot be the person/player that I need to be for this team as well as tend to my family from afar."

"This organization has been amazing showing love and support for myself and my family over the years and this time is no different," he continued. "For that I am appreciative. To my brothers and coaches, I will be rooting for you every step of the way! This is the year! Go get it!!!"

Lions head coach Dan Campbell said that Marvin was away on a "personal issue," and that it was unclear when he might be back. However, according to the team's Twitter account, the Lions released Marvin on Oct. 24.