The New York Jets have held a moment of silence before their game against the Indianapolis Colts at MetLife Stadium to honour former running back Joe McKnight, killed last Thursday in Louisiana.
Authorities said McKnight, 28, was shot during a road rage incident that was possibly sparked by a driver cutting off another on a nearby bridge in Terrytown, across the Mississippi River from New Orleans.
The shooter was identified by police as Ronald Gasser, 54, and he was released overnight, drawing criticism.
READ MORE: Saskatchewan Roughriders mourn tragic loss of running back Joe McKnight
McKnight was rated the nation’s No. 1 running back recruit when he came out of Louisiana in 2006 and signed with the University of Southern California. He was a fourth-round draft pick of the Jets in 2010 and played three seasons for New York.
He spent a season with Kansas City, and most recently played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League.
McKnight had a 107-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in 2011, and it remains the longest play in Jets history.