It is with great sadness that I pass along reports that Broncos running back Damien Nash has died.  The Denver Post says

Backup running back Damien Nash collapsed and died after a charity basketball game in St. Louis, his agent, David Canter, said.  Cause of death was not immediately known.

There are two elements that make this extraordinarily sad aside from the simple issue of death in the first place.  For one, 24 year old Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams was shot and killed earlier in the year.  Secondly,

Nash was hosting the basketball game at Riverview Gardens High School to benefit the Darris Nash Find a Heart Foundation, a charity that raises funds for heart transplant research. Damien Nash recently founded the charity in honor of his older brother, Darris, who has had a heart transplant.

What an utter shame.  While I don’t know Nash from his playing reputation, his last actions speak tremendously about his character.  May many more NFL players follow in the footsteps of his charitable legacy.

Additional research led me to this article from the Titans website (where Nash played as a rookie).  The story is about Damien Nash surprising students at a visit to a local school and it shows photographs of Nash working with young kids.  Once again, it’s another sign that Damien Nash was a good-hearted person. 

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