Uche Nwaneri, a former Jaguars offensive lineman, died suddenly at his wife’s home on Friday, the team announced Monday. He was 38.
Nwaneri passed away at his wife’s home in West Lafayette, Indiana, after driving up from Georgia for the holidays. She discovered him unresponsive at 1 a.m. in a bedroom, according to reports.
Preliminary autopsy results show that Nwaneri may have died from a heart attack caused by an “enlarged heart.”
Nwaneri was remembered as a “tremendous player” and a strong leader in the locker room. He was selected by the Jaguars in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft. The Dallas-area native ended his career with the Dallas Cowboys in 2014.
In Twitter posts, Nwaneri lashed out at people who refused to take the COVID mRNA vaccine. The former Purdue guard was a very vocal pro-vaccine advocate who called for the unvaccinated to be arrested and jailed.
In 2021, he tweeted:
“On behalf of the Jaguars organization and my family, our thoughts are with Uche’s family [and] friends at this terrible time,” tweeted Tony Khan, the Jaguars chief football strategy officer and son of the owner Shad Khan.
We are saddened to learn of the passing of Uche Nwaneri. pic.twitter.com/UstPAT1i6U
— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) January 2, 2023
This is too much! People were misinformed, lied to, and used.
R.I.P. Uche Nwaneri ? ?? ?? https://t.co/bnaTtvnM1w pic.twitter.com/QzMKm8W2aw— LionessCrowned (@lionesscrowned) January 3, 2023
#Jaguars fans will be sad to hear passing of former G Uche Nwaneri at 38, collapsing from a possible heart attack in wife's home in West Lafayette. Uch was one of the coolest cats to ever occupy that locker room. Opinionated and so loveable. What a tragedy to be taken so young.
— Eugene Frenette (@GeneFrenette) January 2, 2023
