The Raiders' family lost a member earlier this week, with the news of the passing of former running back George Atkinson III.
Originally signed as an undrafted free agent in May 2014, the Notre dame product appeared in five games for the Silver and Black, returning five kicks for 134 yards.
He is the son of George Atkinson II, a defensive back who played 10 seasons for the Raiders, and was a member of the Super Bowl XI team.
Derek Carr, who was a teammate of Atkinson's, opened up his weekly media session Wednesday afternoon, by sharing his thoughts and condolences with the entire Atkinson family.
"I'll just start by saying, with everything going on with football and all those kinds of things, I just wanted to send our prayers to Mr. Atkinson [II]," Carr stated. "George was a teammate of mine. It's crazy how quick life can come at you, and I love George. We had a lot of fun playing basketball at 24 Hour Fitness, as well as playing football games together and competing together. He was also so joyful, man. So happy, every single time. He was cut and re-signed a whole bunch of times, and every single time he just looked so thankful to be here. I just wanted to say that we're thinking about him and his family, and that we love him."
Carr wasn't the only player to express his sadness following the death of Atkinson III, as several former teammates took to social media to share their memories of the athletic running back.
In addition to his five career games as a Raider, Atkinson also spent 2016 with the Cleveland Browns, appearing in all 16 games.
He was 27.
