Father of NFL cornerback Caleb Farley killed in apparent explosion at North Carolina home

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The father of Tennessee Titans cornerback Caleb Farley died in an apparent explosion around midnight on Monday that destroyed the NFL player’s North Carolina home and left another person injured, authorities said.

Robert M. Farley, 61, was found dead in the debris of the Lake Norman, North Carolina house Tuesday morning, the Iredell County Fire Marshal’s Office said in a statement.

First responders went to the house around midnight. They found one victim exiting the collapsed structure. The person, who has not been identified publicly, was transported to Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte with non-life-threatening injuries, county officials said.

County property records list the NFL player as the homeowner. The Titans player was not there at the time of the reported explosion, said Kent Greene, director of Iredell County Fire Services and Emergency Management. Property records list the tax value of the home as nearly $2 million.

Titans coach Mike Vrabel called the situation “shocking” and said that the team will do everything possible to support Farley.

Farley, the No. 22 overall pick in the 2021 draft, was placed on injured reserve last November with a back issue. He has played 12 games in his first two seasons and is currently listed as physically unable to perform as the Titans wrap up training camp this week.

In college, the 6-foot-2, 197-pound cornerback was the first high-profile player to opt out of the 2020 season because of the coronavirus pandemic. He lost his mother to cancer in 2018 and was unwilling to put another loved one at risk while playing at Virginia Tech.

Vrabel said what’s important is that they do everything to support Farley and his family.

“That’s the most important thing is to focus on him and not any of the … everything else is pretty trivial,” Vrabel said after Tuesday’s practice in Nashville at the team’s headquarters.

The fire marshal’s office is continuing to investigate the cause of the collapse along with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, Dominion Energy and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

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AP Pro Football Writer Teresa M. Walker reported from Nashville, Tenn.