Former NFLer, Notre Dame D-lineman Louis Nix III found dead at 29 — report [UPDATED]

Updated Feb. 27, 2021 at 9:30 p.m.: Louis Nix III, a former Notre Dame defensive lineman who was drafted by the Texans, and played four games for the New York Giants in 2015, was found dead on Saturday after having been missing since Tuesday, according to a report from Action News in Jacksonville.

Ben Becker tweeted that he got confirmation from Nix’s mother that the 29-year-old had died. At 8 p.m., the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office called off the search for Nix, saying that he had been located.

Earlier, Fighting Irish coach Brian Kelly helped get the word out on Twitter that Nix was last seen on Tuesday, when he left his father’s house in Jacksonville. He had asked anyone with information about Nix’s whereabouts to please share it.

Only two and a half months ago, Nix was nearly killed when he was shot in the chest during a gas station robbery. According to a GoFundMe campaign that raised $42,135 to help Nix, the bullet ricocheted off his sternum and lodged in his lung. Nix spent 10 days in the hospital, and after sending a few tweets on the day of his release, hasn’t posted since. Nix has more than 15,000 followers on a verified Instagram account, but that account is locked.

After the shooting, Nix told WJXT-TV in Jacksonville, “I just want to live a better life, be better as a person and just hope for the best for myself and my family.” He believed that the shooting was a random attack by the two men who accosted him as he was putting air in his tires at the gas station.

Nix was plagued by injuries and surgeries in his college and pro stints. He also signed with the Washington Football Team and Jacksonville Jaguars in 2016, but never suited up in a game for either, and ended his brief career in 2017.