Whitaker died on Feb. 22 at 46, his family announced in a statement<\/a> released by his former team, the Minnesota Vikings. \u201cA gifted athlete, he proudly played high school football for Lake Taylor High School in Norfolk, Virginia, and college football for the Virginia Tech Hokies, where his talent, determination and leadership on the field made a lasting impact,\u201d his family said at the time.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Now, two months later, his partner Laurie Charboneau has revealed that Whitaker chose to have his organs donated. He remained on life support in the M Health Fairview Donor Care Unit<\/a> while their team sought opportunities for his organs to save lives.<\/p>\n Ronyell Whitaker in 2006 \u201cRonyell loved coaching high school kids,\u201d Charboneau told M Health Fairview<\/a> on Wednesday, April 29. \u201cHe would introduce himself to the parents and say, \u2018I\u2019m not just their coach for football. I\u2019m their mentor, so if the kids ever have something going on, I\u2019m here.\u2019 He always wanted to help in any way, and I\u2019m sure he felt the same way when he checked the box to be an organ donor.\u201d<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Whitaker \u201cwould be very excited to know that his, his life continued on,\u201d Charboneau told KARE<\/a> in another interview published on April 29. She said he \u201cloved his family and he loved this community.\u201d<\/p>\n Whitaker was born in Virginia, but spent part of his NFL career in Minnesota. Although he also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions, he chose to stay in the Minneapolis area after retiring from pro football. He coached high school football and established his company, Whitaker Group, LLC, in the city.<\/p>\n While the specific details of Whitaker\u2019s organ donations were not shared, Charboneau told KARE that his lungs were among the organs that helped those four people.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Follow your favorite athletes on and off the field with PEOPLE’s free sports newsletter<\/a> \u2014 sign up now!<\/p>\n \u201cI do think about them. I think about their families and I think about how their health is now, hoping that they’re feeling better,\u201d Charboneau told the outlet. \u201cHe would have been so proud and happy to have helped them. He donated his heart to science as well. So that’s pretty amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n Charboneau was so inspired by the work of the M Health Fairview Donor Care Unit that she is now advocating for organ and tissue donation, and hopes Whitaker\u2019s story will inspire others, she told KARE.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n![\"Ronyell](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/935a2c2f92873d6389ef379b025f6a95.jpeg\"\/)
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Credit: Jed Jacobsohn\/Getty<\/p>\n