Uche Nwaneri — former Purdue and Jacksonville Jaguars’ offensive lineman — has tragically died after he was found unresponsive in his wife’s Indiana home on Friday.
He was only 38.
Nwaneri was at his wife’s home in West Lafayette — about 65 miles northwest of Indianapolis — when police received a call around 1 AM stating the 6’4″ NFL guard collapsed in a bedroom.
Unfortunately, Nwaneri couldn’t be saved.
The Tippecanoe County Office of the Coroner tells us while the official cause hasn’t yet been determined, their initial (preliminary) report indicates Uche died of an “enlarged heart with acute heart failure”.
Authorities say there are no signs of trauma or foul play.
The official cause will not be named until the toxicology report comes back in a few weeks.
Tony Khan — son of Jags’ owner Shahid — issued a statement shortly after the news broke … saying Nwaneri “forged a strong bond with the Jags fans that’s remained to this day.”
“On behalf of the Jaguars organization and my family, our thoughts are with Uche’s family + friends at this terrible time.”
The Dallas native started his football career when he committed to Purdue over Kentucky and Texas A&M in 2003.
He was suspended from Purdue for the 2005 fall semester after breaking his teammate Ryan Noblet‘s jaw during a fight at practice.
Nwaneri was picked up by the Jags in the 5th round of the 2007 NFL draft and played for them until he was released on March 4, 2014.
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He was signed by the Cowboys a few months later but didn’t make the final roster cut.
After football, Nwaneri began a YouTube channel called “The Observant Lineman” where he discussed sports and music with his 21,400 subscribers.
He also remained active with his fans via Twitter … with his last tweet being a tribute to the late Brazilian soccer legend Pelé on Dec. 29 — the day before he passed away.
R.I.P.