Colts center Ryan Kelly announces death of infant daughter

"There is no easy way for us to say what we’re about to say… but we lost our sweet baby, Mary Katherine Kelly, aka Mary Kate, this week," Zieverink Kelly captioned her post. "I was 19 weeks along, 1 week from the halfway mark. Women have a 1% chance of losing their baby this far along, and yet somehow, here we are.

"I learned her little heart just stopped for reasons unknown on Wednesday afternoon after rushing to the hospital upon discovering a little bleeding," the caption later explains. "After learning she wasn’t with us anymore, I was told there was no other choice but to deliver our baby next. Ryan and I spent almost 48 hours in the hospital. I labored for 24 hours with her before she made her entrance on December 17th. I was so angry at first that I had to deliver her, only for it to become the biggest blessing out of this nightmare. It gave Ryan and I the opportunity to hold our little Saint, Mary Kate, before officially saying goodbye to her."

The couple announced they were expecting on Halloween:

Emma and Ryan wed earlier this year, on May 1. 

Kelly, 28, was taken 18th overall by the Colts in the 2016 NFL Draft. He played college football at Alabama, winning the College Football Playoff National Championship in 2015 and earning All-American honors. 

The two-time Pro Bowler has started all but two games for Indianapolis this season. Kelly missed last Saturday's win over the New England Patriots for what was described then as a "personal matter" and had previously missed the team's Dec. 5 victory over Houston because he tested positive for COVID-19.