Greg McCrary passes away Tuesday, three days after suffering from a cardiac arrest. He has been a tight end in the NFL for seven seasons.

D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports McCrary, 61, had been on life support since he has fallen ill from the cardiac arrest.

His brother, Phil McCrary, said, ““We appreciate the sympathy and prayers for the family – that goes a long ways. But he’s in a better place now. He’s in a better place.”

McCrary was a fifth round pick by the Falcons from Clark Atlanta in 1975. He played three seasons with the Falcons. He also spent three seasons with the San Diego Chargers and two more seasons with the Washington Redskins. He has appeared in 74 games over his career.

He was a former assistant football coach at Cedar Grove (2003-2008).

As a signal that the sports runs in the family, McCrary’s son, Johnathon McCrary will be a freshman quarterback at Vanderbilt this fall. The younger McCrary is a 2012 AJC Super 11 QB.