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Former NFL Player Tyler Sash Found Dead At 27 — Friends, Teammates Express Grief, Shock

By Shelley Hazen
Published on: 23:47 PST, Sep 8, 2015

A young man who had a short but stellar football career, Tyler Sash, was found dead at his home in Iowa Tuesday, leaving friends and former teammates in shock and grief.

Sash was only 27.

According to NBC News, emergency responders were called to a Sash’s home to answer a report that a man inside was unresponsive. The man was found to be dead, and soon after identified as Tyler. An autopsy is expected today, but for now, no foul play is suspected.

Funeral arrangements are pending, ESPN added.

Sash was a defensive running back with the University of Iowa before moving on to play with the New York Giants for two seasons. His former Iowa coach, Kirk Ferentz, immediately offered his condolences in response to his sudden death.

“We are all very saddened to hear about the untimely loss of Tyler. It is always so difficult when it involves someone this young. Our heartfelt condolences and prayers go out to Tyler’s family during this extremely difficult time.”

Sash was considered a star of the Iowa team, playing his best game against Iowa State in 2009, when he achieved three interceptions in a 35-3 victory; his team went on to win 11 games and the Orange Bowl, The Associated Press added. With Hawkeye, he started 37 games and is the fourth all-time in the Big Ten Conference.

In 2011, Sash was drafted by the Giants, but his time with them was rather checkered. He earned a Super Bowl ring when the Giants beat the Patriots in 2011, but the next year, he was found in violation of the NFL’s performance-enhancing drugs policy. He explained away the finding as a result of his use of Adderall, which he took for anxiety.

By 2013, Tyler was cut from the Giants’ after training camp. Sash had also reached a settlement with the team over a concussion injury he suffered during a game with New England. After word of his death was released, the Giants reached out to the Sash family in an official statement.

”We were all deeply saddened today to hear of the passing of Tyler. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Tyler’s family and friends and all the Hawkeyes he was so proud to represent.”

His personal life included some missteps as well. In 2014, he pleaded guilty to public intoxication after a drunken four-block police chase on a scooter, which continued with a sprint in the woods and only ended when he was shocked with stun gun; he’d resisted arrest.

https://twitter.com/Mike_Stud/status/641390010801852416

Social media was littered with tributes and condolences from friends and teammates, who expressed an outpouring of grief at news of Tyler’s sudden passing. One of them, former Iowa teammate Paki O’Meara, remembered him as a quiet guy.

”To think of somebody that was so selfless and gave so much, such a good guy, I’m just really shocked,” he said.

[Photo Courtesy Doug Pensinger/Getty Images]

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