Sunday, May 1, 2011

Ohio lineman Marcellis Williamson dies after leaving hospital

Ohio University has confirmed that defensive lineman Marcellis Williamson, 22, died on Wednesday afternoon of�as yet undetermined causes after a visit to a Cleveland-area hospital near his hometown. Williamson, a 6-foot-1, 327-pound senior coming to the end of his fifth year at Ohio U., started every game the past two seasons with 84 total tackles and 10 tackles for loss.

A spokesman for a hospital in Euclid, Ohio, told reporters Wednesday night that Williamson was admitted as a patient there earlier in the day, but had been discharged. Some of his friends and teammates, many of whom began posting on Twitter and Facebook about Williamson's death around 10 p.m. ET, told a student paper that Williamson died of a heart attack, but the university hasn't offered any details and there is no official cause of death.

Williamson's last post on his Facebook page, on Tuesday afternoon: "I am blessed to have waken up this morning!! Enjoy today because tomorrow isn't guaranteed!!"

[UPDATE, 3:04 p.m. ET] The university has established a memorial fund to assist Williamson's family with funeral costs. Make a donation here.

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Matt Hinton is on Twitter: Follow him @DrSaturday.

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