One day after the sudden and tragic death of Miami Dolphins vice president of communications and community affairs Jason Jenkins, the community remembered the man who was a legend in the world of community activism in his adopted South Florida.
The Miami Marlins placed flowers and a football in the press box at loanDepot park Sunday, also holding a moment of silence before the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Jenkins died suddenly Saturday at the age of 47 after a medical emergency. Details were not released by the team, who announced Jenkins' death during its preseason finale against the Philadelphia Eagles.
"It definitely hasn’t gone away, and I don’t think it will for a long, long time," Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel said Sunday. "And that’s probably the biggest takeaway I have is that I can only hope to leave a legacy like he did with people that I work with.”
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Members of the Dolphins continued to express their condolences on social media.
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The Florida Panthers said in a tweet that Jenkins "embodying what it meant to use sports as a platform to better the community."
South Florida's Major League Soccer team, Inter Miami, said South Florida had "lost a beacon of light" and Jenkins worked tirelessly to impact and change lives in our community.
Jenkins joined the Dolphins in 2009 and was named to his latest position in 2015. He was notable in creating the Dolphins' Football Unites platform and was also board chair of the Dolphins Challenge Cancer fundraiser.
“I am heartbroken. Jason Jenkins was an icon in the Miami community, and above all a kind and incredible family man," Dolphins owner Stephen Ross said in a statement Saturday. "His dedication to our organization was unmatched. He was my friend but most of all he was a generous soul. My heart is with Elizabeth and his children tonight. The Jenkins family will always be a part of the Dolphins family.”
The Houston native and Texas Tech University graduate was also a board member for several community organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League and the Urban League of Broward County.
He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth, and their three children.
