Former NFL offensive lineman Max Tuerk passed away at the age of 26 from an enlarged heart, according to a report in the Los Angeles Times.
Tuerk, 26, died June 20 after he collapsed while hiking in Orange County.
The Orange County coroner’s office report said Tuerk had “severe cardiomegaly with left and right ventricular hypertrophy.”
Tuerk was a four-year starter at USC and a third-round draft pick of the Chargers in 2016. Tuerk also played for the Arizona Cardinals.
According to his family, Tuerk was struggling with mental illness during and after his pro football career.
His mother Valerie Tuerk told the Los Angeles Times that the family had arranged to have his brain tissue sent to Boston University’s Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) Center. She said: “That was very important to us, because we feel that CTE probably had some impact on Max”
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