Willie Scott, a former first-round pick and NFL tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots, has died at the age of 61, the Patriots and the University of South Carolina announced Tuesday.
Scott needed a heart and kidney transplant after battling heart issues for years, the Charlotte Observer reported. Scott died Monday.
"The New England Patriots are deeply saddened to learn of the loss of former Patriots tight end Willie Scott," the team said in a statement.
Scott was drafted No. 14 overall by the Chiefs in the 1981 draft out of South Carolina.