Beloved college football star mysteriously vanishes — as family reveals disturbing behavior

The family of a Bay Area college football standout say they had urged him to seek therapy before he mysteriously vanished a week ago.

Berkeley resident and San Jose State University alum Hadari Darden, 28, was last reported seen at the Skyline Plaza shopping center in Daly City, where officers spoke with him after he was reported for acting suspiciously.

“I don’t know how to feel right now,” Darden’s mother, Hanifea Click, told NBC. “I’m angry, I’m sad, I’m hurt. I just want to find my son.”

Click said her son appeared normal, so officers allowed him to walk away.

“It’s a concern for me for him to even be in this area right now. He doesn’t know anyone.”

She said the family had recently grown worried about his behavior, but stressed he had never disappeared like this before.

“I’ve been concerned about some things that I have noticed for some time now, and I’ve tried to talk to him and encourage therapy,” Click said.

The family last heard from Darden on Saturday after he left home for a hair appointment in Oakland, but he never returned and missed a family get-together on Sunday.

By Monday, the 28-year-old, who works for Kaiser, also failed to show up for his job.

Headshot of Hadari Darden, a young Black man with a beard and dark curly hair, wearing a suit jacket and striped tie against a blue background.
Family members said they have been worried about his recent behavior.
Since then, friends and loved ones have fanned out across the Bay Area, handing out flyers and searching BART stations in a desperate bid to find him. Darden does not have a car and is not known to have connections in Daly City.

Darden is described as a 6-foot-3 African American man with black hair and brown eyes, weighing 200 pounds.

He was last seen wearing green joggers and a black hoodie while carrying an army-colored backpack.

His uncle, Steven Jefferson, said the community is rallying behind the search.

A missing person poster for Hadari Dejuan Darden, an African American male, 28, with black hair and brown eyes, last seen in Berkeley, CA.
Hadari Darden was last seen on Sunday.
“He has love from the whole community, from his team members, college mates, teachers, coaches,” he said.

“Just everybody is looking for Hadari right now. We all love him and we want him home.”

The Berkeley Police Department said there is no evidence at this time of foul play, adding that its investigations division is actively working the case.
A San Jose State University football player in a blue and white uniform is circled on a green football field.
The former San Jose State University football star has been missing for a week.

Illustration for Hadari Darden, a San Jose State University football player, with his name and position.
Darden’s mom said she is so concerned about her son who has never just disappeared before.
In one Instagram post, a woman named Tracy Moran shared a missing person’s flyer.

“Please share far and wide. Hadari is the son of my friend. I can’t even imagine the depth of her pain right now,” the post read.

Nevada Wolf Pack running back #35 Toa Taua cuts past San Jose State Spartans linebacker #41 Hadari Darden.
Friends and loved ones have been searching everywhere in the Bay Area trying to find him.Getty Images
According to San Jose State University records, Darden was a standout linebacker, recording 25 total tackles, including 19 solo stops, in his final season in 2020.

The California Post has reached out to Daly City and Berkeley police for further comment.