The family said the shooting doesn't appear to be connected to his death. However, Nix's mother said her son had been apprehensive about leaving his house after the shooting and he was carefully watching his surroundings. She adds that the athlete could have suffered a heart attack or some other medical emergency related to being shot.

“He just got shot by some random people in December,” Reed said. “We still are recovering from that, and then this happens.”

The Notre Dame standout, who left the school in 2013, played with four teams after he was selected by the Houston Texans in the third round of the 2014 NFL. He most recently played for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2016.

Stephanie Wingfield

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