I was sad to learn today that Chris Colmer, former standout N.C. State offensive tackle (2000-2004), died yesterday. He was 30 years old. His agent would not disclose the cause of Colmer’s death.
Wikipedia says at the moment that he died in Florida in a car accident, but that comment was made anonymously. Being the curious lot, I did a search on Twitter for news on Colmer and found a tweet claiming Colmer jumped from a bridge:
??? RT @bridgetZtalk Tampa Bay Buckaneer, Chris Colmer, jumped off a bridge. So sad.
The tweet has since been taken down, and there is no corroboration at the moment, but this scenario seems to fit with his agent’s reluctance to discuss the circumstances. Tampa’s Sunshine Skyway Bridge does have a sad reputation as a suicide bridge. On the other hand, friends of Colmer’s former teammates say Colmer died in a car accident.
Whatever the cause, it’s truly sad. What a shame that this young man’s promising life has been cut short. He played his heart out for N.C. State. My condolences to his family and friends.
Update 6 Jan: A visitor to the Bucstats.com website says Colmer died from a car accident Dec. 28th.
Update 2, 6 Jan: Chris Colmer’s online obituary is here (until 12/31/2011).