Ex-NFL player Uche Nwaneri dies at 38
Jan 2, 2011; Houston, TX, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars guard Uche Nwaneri (77) on the sidelines against the Houston Texans in the fourth quarter at Reliant Stadium. The Texans defeated the Jaguars 34-17. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Former Jacksonville Jaguars offensive lineman Uche Nwaneri died suddenly on Friday.
Police announced on Monday that Nwaneri died last week at his wife’s home in West Lafayette, Ind. The West Lafayette Police Department received a call early Friday morning that Nwaneri had collapsed in a bedroom. He was found unresponsive and could not be saved.
Nwaneri was 38.
An autopsy performed on Monday found no signs of foul play. A preliminary report from the Tippecanoe County Office of the Coroner indicates that Nwaneri died of “an enlarged heart with acute heart failure,” according to TMZ. The official cause of death will not be named until a full toxicology report comes back later in the month.
Nwaneri played college ball at Purdue before being selected by the Jaguars in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played for Jacksonville for seven seasons and was released during the 2014 offseason. Nwaneri then signed with the Dallas Cowboys but did not make the 53-man roster.
Nwaneri appeared in 104 games in his NFL career.
