Former Bengals QB Greg Cook passed away on Thursday night at the age of 65, the team announced. A statement said that Cook was suffering fron an illness.

Cook started 11 games as a rookie for the Bengals in 1969 and led the AFL in completion percentage. He was named the AFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year by the AP for that season.

However his career was cut short after sustaining a shoulder injury in the third game of the 1969 season. He remained on the team until 1974, but only saw action in one other game the remainder of his career.

"Greg was the single most talented player we've ever had with the Bengals,"  Bengals president Mike Brown said in a statement. "His career was tragically short due to the injury. Had he been able to stay healthy, I believe he would have been the player of his era in the NFL.

"Greg was a personal friend to me," Brown added. "He was a good person whose company I enjoyed over all his years as a player and after that. I feel a great loss at his passing."