Uchechukwu Nwaneri, the former Jacksonville Jaguars offensive guard, has died at the age of 38.
According to Lafayette Journal & Courier, Nwaneri was heading to Indiana from Georgia to visit his wife. On Friday, his wife found Nwaneri unresponsive in a bedroom of her west Lafayette home at 1 a.m.
The Tippecanoe County Coroner’s office reports the autopsy has determined no foul play, citing Nwaneri suffered from a heart attack.
Nwaneri’s parents immigrated to the United States from Nigeria in 1973. He played college football for Purdue and was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2007, playing a total of seven seasons.
“His career in the NFL was fitting reward for how good he was,” Nwaneri’s former teammate Chase Lecklider said. “The news of his passing hit hard. He’s too young. My thoughts are with his family and I’ll remember him well.”
