Uche Nwaneri, a former Jacksonville Jaguars player found dead at age 38
Multiple sources have confirmed that Uche Nwaneri, a former offensive guard for the Jacksonville Jaguars, has passed away at the age of 38.
The Lafayette Journal & Courier said that Nwaneri had driven from Georgia to Indiana to spend time with his wife. On Friday morning at around 1 a.m., she apparently discovered him unresponsive in a bedroom in her West Lafayette house and immediately dialled 911.
Coroner Carrie Costello of Tippecanoe County told the newspaper that an autopsy showed no signs of foul play and that, pending toxicology results, it was possible that he had died of a heart attack.
His former agent, Jordan Woy, according to CowboysSI.com, “Uche was a fantastic person.” His perspectives on sports, politics, and life were profound and educational.
In 1984, Nwaneri was born in Dallas, Texas, to parents who had moved to the United States from Nigeria in 1973. Uchechukwu Nwaneri means “God’s wish” in his parents’ native language. He’s officially signed on to play football at Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana (source: Lafayette Journal & Courier).
He spent seven years with the Jacksonville Jaguars after being drafted by them in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. According to NBC Sports, he appeared in 104 games for the Jaguars and made 92 starts.
After being let go, he temporarily played for his hometown team, the Dallas Cowboys, in 2014. However, he was cut during the final roster cuts that year.
After hanging up his cleats in the NFL, he and some of his fellow ex-players launched a YouTube channel called “The Observant Lineman” to break down and evaluate current games. Even less than two weeks have passed since he posted his last presentation, in which he analysed a Philadelphia Eagles game.
Tony Khan, chief football strategy officer for the Jacksonville Jaguars and son of the team’s owner Shahid Khan, was among the many in the football community who took to Twitter to pay their respects to the late football great. Nwaneri, he claimed, forged a strong bond with the Jags fans that’s remained to this day.”