Washington Football Team: Former linebacker Rich Milot passes away at 64

Despite losing the game, fans of the Washington Football Team entered the weekend feeling encouraged after Ron Rivera’s side put forth a promising display in their preseason opener against the New England Patriots on Thursday evening.

Unfortunately for the fan base, the positive vibes ended just as the weekend was nearing its final hours.

On late Sunday night, Washington sadly announced on Twitter that former star linebacker Rich Milot has passed away.

He was 64 years old.

Former Washington LB Rich Milot sadly passed away last week.

Widely considered the greatest seventh-round pick in franchise history, Milot joined Washington near the final stages of the Over the Hill Gang of the early 1970s.

Amazingly enough, Milot subsequently became a pivotal piece of the Joe Gibbs era, helping Washington win two Super Bowls in 1982 and 1987.

Milot appeared in another Super Bowl with the organization in 1983, though they lost to the then-Los Angeles Raiders. Still, winning two championships is as close as you can get to being coined a franchise legend.

The Penn State alum spent all nine of his seasons in the NFL with Washington, appearing in a total of 121 games, 91 of which were starts. Stats weren’t recorded as thoroughly back then as they are today, but Milot is credited with 20.5 sacks, 13 interceptions, two forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries.

Milot’s passing has left a number of former teammates in mourning, including former quarterback Mark Rypien, who penned an emotional statement on Twitter after catching wind of the news.

Suffice it to say Rypien’s comments echo the entire Washington fan base.

The cause of Milot’s death is currently unclear, but this is simply a heartbreaking day for the Washington Football Team franchise.

The entire Riggo’s Rag team sends our deepest condolences to Milot’s family.