Uche Nwaneri, a former NFL offensive lineman who spent seven seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, died on Monday, the organization confirmed. He was 38.
According to the Lafayette Journal & Courier, Nwaneri died Friday at his wife’s house in West Lafayette, Indiana, after traveling up from Georgia. Tippecanoe County Coroner Carrie Costello stated that Nwaneri’s wife discovered him unresponsive in a bedroom of her home at 1 a.m. ET and contacted 911.
Maurice Jones-Drew #32 of the Jacksonville Jaguars celebrates his score against the New York Jets on November 15, 2009 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with teammates Mike Sims-Walker #11, Jarett Dillard #87, and Uche Nwaneri #77. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Costello said there were no signs of foul player and a preliminary investigation determined that the former NFL player died of a possible heart attack.
Word of Nwaneri’s death resonated in the NFL world.
Nwaneri’s parents immigrated to the United States from Nigeria in the 1970s, according to the Journal & Courier. He was born in Dallas, Texas, and went to Purdue to play college football.
He was drafted by the Jaguars in the fifth round of the 2007 draft and rose through the ranks to become a starting guard for quarterbacks such as David Garrard, Luke McCown, Blaine Gabbert, and Chad Henne.
Out of the 104 games he played in during his career, he started 92 of them for Jacksonville.
Following the 2013 season, he was released by Jacksonville and became a free agent in March 2014. Later that summer, he signed with the Dallas Cowboys, but he never fit in and was dismissed before the season began.
In his post-playing career, Nwaneri launched a YouTube page to comment on the happenings of the NFL. He recently posted a YouTube short talking about the late Franco Harris.
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