Tragedy strikes Broncos again, Nash, 24, collapses and dies after charity hoops game

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Tragedy strikes Broncos again

Nash, 24, collapses and dies after charity hoops game

Posted: Saturday February 24, 2007 11:24PM; Updated: Sunday February 25, 2007 12:32AM

Damien Nash played in three games for the Broncos this season, finishing with 66 yards on 18 carries.
Aggie Skirball/WireImage.com

DENVER (AP) -- Broncos running back Damien Nash collapsed and died after a charity basketball game in suburban St. Louis on Saturday, less than two months after the slaying of teammate Darrent Williams.
"We have been informed of the passing of Damien Nash," team spokesman Jim Saccomano said Saturday night. "We are attempting to get more details. ... We do know it's true."
Officials at Christian Hospital in St. Louis said the 24-year-old Nash died early Saturday evening. The cause of death wasn't immediately determined.
Nash collapsed shortly after participating in the game benefiting a foundation named for older brother Darris Nash. The foundation raises money for heart transplant research. It was established last month, after Darris Nash received a heart transplant.
Former Missouri receiver Sean Coffey was at the event with Nash and told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch there was no indication anything was wrong.
"Everything was normal. ... We were playing around at the game. ... He was fine," Coffey told the newspaper. "I give my best to his family. This is crazy. I can't believe this is happening. It was the first time I had seen him in a couple of years. I can't believe he's gone. I'm so happy I got to see him one last time."
Nash was from East St. Louis, Ill., and played two years at Missouri after playing at Coffeyville Community College in Kansas.
"The Denver Broncos organization is once again struck with profound sadness over the tragic loss of one of our players," team owner Pat Bowlen said in a statement. "This is a tremendous tragedy and our hearts go out to the entire Nash family."
The Broncos are still reeling from the slaying of Williams, who was shot once in the neck while leaving a New Year's Eve party in his rented stretch Hummer in downtown Denver hours after the season ended. His slaying remains unsolved.
"The Broncos family has suffered a great loss with the passing of Damien Nash," coach Mike Shanahan said from Indianapolis, where he was attending the NFL's scouting combine along with general manager Ted Sundquist. "I am stunned and deeply saddened by this tragedy, and send my deepest condolences to Damien's family."
A fifth-round draft choice by Tennessee in 2005, Nash played in three games for the Titans. The Broncos signed him as a free agent last season and he played in three games, rushing for 98 yards on 24 carries.
Nash's death came two days after former NBA great Dennis Johnson collapsed and died after his developmental team's practice in Austin, Texas. Johnson was 52.

 

[tucker01]

Wow shitty.

 

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I think I will take it easy with basketball.

 

[BoneCrusher]

I think I will take it easy with basketball.

 

[P-funk]

damn, that is nuts!

 

[MCx2]

Yeah, WTF!?!?

 

[largepkg]

Well, it turns out his brother recently had a heart transplant so maybe heart issues run in his family?

 

[bigss75]

That really sucks, you'd imagine that he would get the run though if his bro had heart issues and he was on a pro football team with the physicals and all that

 

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This is the second death this week due to basketball.

 

[the nut]

RIP bro.


This is getting ridiculous, Al Davis is up to something.

 

[the nut]

'A Real Happy-Go-Lucky Young Man'

Nash's Agent: Runner's Final Days Were Joyous Ones


INDIANAPOLIS -- The final week of Damien Nash's life saw the Broncos' running back witness the realization of a dream.

It was a charity basketball game to benefit a heart-transplant foundation named in honor of his brother, Darris, who underwent a life-saving transplant within the past year. The event cemented Nash's desire to be more than just a football player, but to contribute and be devoted to the world at large, beginning with his family.

"We probably talked 20 times (in the week) leading up to the event," said Nash's agent, David Canter. "He was the happiest I've ever heard him."

Nash passed away Saturday in the hours following the basketball game, which was held at Riverview Gardens High School on the north side of the St. Louis metropolitan area. Nash attended the school for three years before spending his senior year a few miles southeast at East St. Louis (Ill.) High School.

"He spent very little time actually playing; most of the time he was socializing with his friends," Canter said. "He played, got in the limousine with his wife and his daughter. He drove home and was in the other room speaking with one of his cousins and collapsed and fell down."

Nash was pronounced dead at Christian Hospital in St. Louis at 6:41 p.m. CST on Saturday.

"The one thing that his mother wanted me to say to (the media) is that he was literally surrounded by every single person that loved him and that he loved from his family," Canter said at the Indiana Convention Center on Sunday.

Between "75 and 150" family members were with Nash in his final hours, Canter said.

Canter added that Nash was also giddy about his future with the Broncos, a future that was tragically truncated when he collapsed and died Saturday in St. Louis.

"At the end of the season, I told him about a conversation I had with (General Manager) Ted Sundquist and (Head Coach) Mike (Shanahan in January), about what their expectations were for him and what he needed to do to get ready for the football season," Canter said. "At the end of the year, we signed another year onto his contract, the exclusive(-rights) year, because he was only on a one-year deal with Denver. He was tremendously excited about the opportunity.

"He'd just gotten married; he'd just had a baby in April of last year. His wife's tremendous; his daughter's seven months old. He's just a great guy. If you look at any pictures of Damien outside of the football field, he's got a huge smile on his face. (He was) a real happy-go-lucky young man.

"He had his whole life ahead of him. It hasn't hit us."

Canter's association with Nash dates back to the months preceding the 2005 NFL Draft, which saw the Tennessee Titans use a fifth-round pick on the former University of Missouri tailback.

"He was like my kid," Canter said. "I've dealt with him through his highest high -- getting drafted -- and his lowest low when he was released by the Titans. Another highest high was signing with Denver, then having the big preseason game (against the Titans on Aug. 19, 2006) and then getting to contribute this year and having great expectations."

Nash's death hit the Broncos hard, particularly fullback Cecil Sapp, who shared not only an agent with Nash, but a burgeoning friendship, as well. The four-year veteran took Nash under his wing when he joined the team last summer, and the friendship and fun they shared was the subject of a KCNC-Ch. 4 profile in September.

"There was a lot of talk amongst us that, 'Hey, it's going to be great -- in a year or two Cecil's going to be the fullback and Damien's going to be the starting tailback and they'd both be represented by the same guy," Canter said.

"Cecil's scheduled for surgery Monday on leg to get screws removed and he was (distraught) when he heard the news," Canter continued. "It's been a rough night for all of us."

Nash is survived by his wife, Judy, and a seven-month-old daughter, Phaith Ja'zaih, as well as numerous siblings and extended family.

Funeral arrangements are still pending, but the service will be conducted at the Friendly Temple M.B. Church in St. Louis.