UNLV football player Ben Christman died unexpectedly earlier this year, and an official cause of death was revealed on Thursday.
According to the Clark County Coroner’s Office in Las Vegas, Nev., Christman died from heart disease and an irregular heartbeat.
Christman, who had transferred to UNLV from Kentucky a month prior to his death, was found unresponsive at his off-campus apartment on Feb. 11. He was 21.
Two teammates who were at Christman’s apartment the day he died told police that they went to check on the offensive lineman after he missed practice. Another person told officers that Christman had experienced chest pains at practice the day before.
Christman reportedly underwent an EKG at UNLV on Feb. 10. A cardio doctor reviewed the results and determined that they “looked normal,” according to a report from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. You can read more details here.
Christman’s obituary stated that he died in his sleep of natural causes.
Christman was a four-star recruit out of Richfield, Ohio. He began his college career at Ohio State and redshirted as a freshman in 2021. After playing in one game for the Buckeyes in 2022, Christman transferred to Kentucky. He missed all of 2023 due to an injury.
Christman finally got his shot last season and played in all 12 games for the Wildcats before deciding to leave for UNLV. Players from all across college football shared messages on social media following Christman’s death.
