The Ohio State brotherhood lost a literal giant back in March when former offensive lineman, Shane Olivea, passed away unexpectedly. At the time of his passing, the cause had not been determined. Medical documents recently released have revealed the cause of death as “hypertensive heart disease”.
Olivea played with the Buckeyes from 2000-2003 and was part of the 2002 national championship team. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers (now Los Angeles Chargers) in the seventh round of the 2004 NFL draft. The big tackle played with the Chargers from 2004-2007 and made an immediate impact over his four seasons playing in 60 games and starting 57.
Olivea was released from the Chargers in 2008 because of an addiction to pain pills. Olivea was open about his struggles saying he once took over 100 Vicodin pills in one day. “There wasn’t one day in the NFL I wasn’t high on a pill after my rookie year,” Olivea told The Columbus Dispatch in 2015.
The former lineman entered rehab to overcome the painkiller addiction and seemed to have his life back on track. Unfortunately, his life was cut short at just 40 years of age. Rest in peace big fella… and thanks for all the memories.
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