CLEVELAND — Editor's note: the video in the player above is from an unrelated story.
Former NFL tight end Gavin Escobar, who spent a portion of the 2018 offseason with the Cleveland Browns, was one of two rock climbers who died in an accident in California on Wednesday according to officials, our sister station WFAA is reporting.
The 31-year-old Escobar and 33-year-old Chelsea Walsh were found dead during an attempted rescue by the Riverside County Fire Department around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday at Tahquitz Rock in the Idyllwild area. The department said firefighters tried hiking to the victims' location but the two climbers had died by the time they got to them.
An investigation regarding the cause of death is ongoing.
The Dallas Cowboys selected Escobar out of San Diego State in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft. In four seasons with the franchise, he caught 30 passes for 333 yards and eight touchdowns while appearing in 62 games.
Following the 2016 season, he signed a one-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, but was released prior to the start of the 2017 campaign. He went on to spend a portion of the season with the Baltimore Ravens, but didn't appear in a game with the team.
In January 2018, Escobar signed a reserve/future contract with the Browns but was released in April. He went on to spend the remainder of the offseason with the Miami Dolphins before finishing his football career playing for the San Diego Fleet in the now-defunct Alliance of American Football.
Following his retirement from football, Escobar became a firefighter for the Long Beach Fire Department. According to the department, he had a wife and two children.
"It is with deep sadness that we announce the off-duty death of Long Beach Firefighter Gavin Escobar," the department said in a Facebook post.
WFAA's Alex Cruz contributed to this report.
