Titans star Caleb Farley's family suffers horrific tragedy in home explosion
Mooresville, North Carolina - The father of NFL player Caleb Farley died early Tuesday morning after a massive explosion leveled the $2-million North Carolina home owned by the Tennessee Titans cornerback, authorities said.
Robert Farley (61) was found in the debris in a back bedroom of the home, according to Kent Greene, director of Iredell County's Fire Services and Emergency Management.
One other male victim was also injured in the explosion. He was transported to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
The suspected gas leak explosion occurred around midnight in Mooresville, in the Charlotte metropolitan area.
Neighbors started smelling gas and heard an explosion just before midnight.
Clay Wild, who was walking in the neighborhood at the time, described the incident as "a loud boom, about five minutes to midnight," to local news station Queen City News.
"A gorgeous house, in all respects, I can’t believe it."
Farely home explosion under investigation by multiple agencies
Images show the house – a 6,391-square-foot home owned by the Tennessee Titans cornerback – reduced to rubble.
Farley bought the four-bedroom, four-bath house for $2.05 million last year, The Tennessean reported, citing property records.
The explosion is under investigation by multiple local agencies, including the Iredell County Fire Marshal's Office, the NC State Bureau of Investigation, and the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
EMS vehicles were spotted leaving the scene around 7 AM EDT, Queen City News reported.
A devastated Farley, who was not in the home at the time of the incident, said he would "lean on [his] faith."
"That's all I can do, it's all I got," he told Queen City News.
The 24-year-old native of Maiden, North Carolina played college football at Virginia Tech and was drafted by the Titans in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Cover photo: IMAGO / USA TODAY Network