WFT DE Montez Sweat's Brother Anthony Killed in Virginia Shooting

The brother of Washington Football Team defensive end Montez Sweat was shot and killed Tuesday in Henrico, Virginia.

Henrico police initially said it received reports of a shooting at 4:09 p.m. ET. Officers responding to the scene found one man who had apparent gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene. Authorities later confirmed the man was Anthony Sweat.

Montez Sweat was absent from practice Wednesday for personal reasons. Washington head coach Ron Rivera addressed the situation during his media session:

"It is rough, and our thoughts and prayers are with the families. We try to make sure that the players understand that we're here for them. We do have a team psychologist and she's available, as well as not just myself but position coaches, coordinators and Malcolm Blacken, who is our director of player development. ... We're there for them."

The Washington Football Team is still reeling from the Dec. 23 car crash involving safety Deshazor Everett. A passenger in the car died from injuries she suffered in the crash, and he suffered serious, non-life-threatening injuries as well.

"When you see the things with Shaze and Montez, we're all human, and we're going through things that are much bigger than football," wide receiver Terry McLaurin told reporters.

Sweat, a first-round pick of Washington in 2019, has made 10 appearances for the team this season. His status for Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles remains unclear.