Mike Merritt was a former UCF and NFL football player who was killed in a crash over the weekend in Orange County.

For Kattie Merritt Sherrod, the death of her son, 38-year-old Merritt is just surreal.

“I am going to miss my son. The more I talk, the more I realize this is reality — he is not coming back,” Merritt Sherrod said.

The last time she spoke with him was Dec. 16 – the day before the crash.

Investigators say Merritt was driving in the wrong direction on State Road 417 and was killed after a head-on crash.

“I know he was dealing with something with CTE but I don’t understand why he was driving on the wrong side of the road,” Merritt Sherrod said.

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, is a progressive brain condition.

Merritt used to play as a wide receiver for the Jacksonville Jaguars and the then-St. Louis Rams.

He leaves behind two children, 1-year-old Malia and 18-year-old Mike Merritt Jr. who’s been hit hard by the news.

“From what I was told today, he finally came out of the room. We would get him out of the bedroom, he would just sit in the bedroom and cry all day and all night,” Merritt Sherrod said.

She says it’s tough on everybody, especially right before Christmas. A friend of Merritt’s has started a fundraiser to help both children.

Merritt Jr. is graduating from high school next May.

“He was saving up to get Little Michael a used car, and we were going to him a car for graduation,” Merritt Sherrod said.

Part of the fundraiser will help.

“It does my heart so much warmth to know that there are so many people out there who care about him,” Merrit Sherrod said.

She says her son was a devoted father, plus a dependable and loyal friend.

“He was a good guy. He was a loyal guy. That’s what Michael Merritt was,” Merritt Sherrod said.

Merritt Sherrod says Merritt was her oldest son. She had him when she was 15 years old. She finished high school and graduated from college. She says Merritt was her inspiration.

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