It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Uche Nwaneri, a former offensive guard for the Jacksonville Jaguars at only 38 years old.

On Friday, at the residence of his wife in West Lafayette, Indiana, Nwaneri passed away. This has been confirmed by both the West Lafayette Police Department and Tippecanoe County Coroner Carrie Costello as per The Lafayette Journal & Courier report.

To spend New Year’s Eve with his wife, Nwaneri had driven all the way from Georgia. Unfortunately, in the wee hours of Friday morning, he suddenly collapsed and became unresponsive. His spouse quickly called 911 after discovering him unconscious in one of the bedrooms at 1 AM.

Monday’s autopsy revealed no indication of foul play and suggested that Nwaneri passed away due to a heart attack, though toxicology tests are still pending.

He “played 7 seasons with the @Jaguars, 2007-2013, and forged a strong bond with the Jags fans that’s remained to this day,” wrote on Twitter Jaguars owner Tony Khan. “On behalf of the Jaguars organization and my family, our thoughts are with Uche’s family + friends at this terrible time.”

Uchechukwu Nwaneri, meaning “God’s wish” in his parents’ Nigerian dialect, was born to immigrant parents who had arrived in the U.S. back in 1973 – and he made a name for himself while attending Purdue University’s Boilermakers football team from 2003 onwards.

In July 2005, he violated the rules and was suspended for the fall semester after a physical altercation with his teammate Ryan Noblet. By spring 2006, Nwaneri returned to Purdue University’s team and concluded his explosive season with an opportunity from the National Football League.

After being drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2007’s fifth round, Nwaneri performed in 104 games and started 92 of them, according to NBC Sports. Nevertheless, after 2013 he was released from the team and joined up with Dallas Cowboys later that year – yet his stay there only lasted a few months prior to him getting cut.

With an ever-growing YouTube following of 35,000 subscribers and counting, The Observant Lineman channel created by Nwaneri is a hit. Former football players reunite here to debate their favorite sports topics while taking in the latest games available.

Upon news of Nwaneri’s passing, many of his former teammates and journalists expressed their condolences, including Boilermakers teammate Noblet who spoke to the Journal & Courier saying “I am sorry to hear of his passing.”

“Uche was a great person,” said his former agent, Jordan Woy. “He was a very interesting person and had deep, valued and informative thoughts on sports, politics and life.”