https://www.chargers.com/news/chargers-mourn-the-loss-of-shane-olivea

Chargers Mourn the Loss of Shane Olivea
Mar 03, 2022 at 09:07 AM

The Chargers are saddened to learn that former offensive tackle Shane Olivea has passed away at the age of 40.

Olivea was selected by the Chargers in the seventh round (No. 209 overall) of the 2004 NFL Draft after a standout collegiate career at Ohio State. He played four seasons in San Diego, starting in 57 of 60 games played.

In 2006, Olivea was an integral piece of an offensive line that helped Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson break the NFL's single-season touchdown record. Olivea started all 16 games that season at right tackle.
_________________

His former teammate Roman Oben shared a pic on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/R_Oben/status/1499402146436902914

Roman Oben
@R_Oben
Very sad to hear the news of my former teammate Shane Olivea. Praying for his family today.

RIP to yet another player gone way too soon.

Michael

phlash74 wrote:
> https://www.chargers.com/news/chargers-mourn-the-loss-of-shane-olivea
>
> Chargers Mourn the Loss of Shane Olivea
> Mar 03, 2022 at 09:07 AM
>
> The Chargers are saddened to learn that former offensive tackle Shane Olivea has passed away at the age of 40.
>
> Olivea was selected by the Chargers in the seventh round (No. 209 overall) of the 2004 NFL Draft after a standout collegiate career at Ohio State. He played four seasons in San Diego, starting in 57 of 60 games played.
>
> In 2006, Olivea was an integral piece of an offensive line that helped Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson break the NFL's single-season touchdown record. Olivea started all 16 games that season at right tackle.
> _________________
>
> His former teammate Roman Oben shared a pic on Twitter:
> https://twitter.com/R_Oben/status/1499402146436902914
>
> Roman Oben
> @R_Oben
> Very sad to hear the news of my former teammate Shane Olivea. Praying for his family today.
>
>
>
> RIP to yet another player gone way too soon.
>
> Michael
>

I don't remember the addiction:

https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl-shane-olivea-former-chargers-ohio-state-ot-dies-at-40-203142923.html

Shane Olivea, former Chargers, Ohio State OT, dies at 40
Liz Roscher
Thu, March 3, 2022, 3:31 PM

Shane Olivea, the former San Diego (now Los Angeles) Chargers and Ohio
State offensive tackle, has died at age 40. The Chargers announced his
death on Thursday, with the cause currently unknown.

Olivea, a Long Island native, was an Ohio State Buckeye from 2000 to
2003, and won a championship with OSU in 2002 (the incredible and
unexpected upset of Miami). He left in his senior year without earning
his degree, and the Chargers drafted him in the 7th round in 2004. He
went on to start 57 of 60 career games for San Diego.

Olivea spent just four seasons with the Chargers, choosing to end his
career early to deal with his opioid addiction. He spoke about his
substance abuse problem, which began in his rookie year, in a 2016
interview with the Columbus Dispatch. He played 21 total games in his
first pro season, including preseason, regular season, and a playoff
game. Tired and battered, a teammate offered him a Vicodin. Olivea told
the Dispatch that he was hooked on them almost immediately.

"There wasn't one day in the NFL I wasn't high on a pill after my rookie
year," Olivea said.

At the height of his addiction, Olivea was taking an unimaginable amount
of painkillers every day — an amount that doctors later said should have
killed him.

"At my height on Vicodin, I would take 125 a day," he said. "It got
to the point I would take a pile of 15 Vicodin and would have to take
them with chocolate milk. If I did it with water or Gatorade, I'd throw
it up."

As a result, Olivea's relationships and career slipped. Eventually his
family, friends and teammate Roman Oben staged an intervention, and he
willingly went to rehab, asking the Chargers for his release.

After 89 days at the Betty Ford Center, Olivea emerged clean and sober.
He eventually decided he wanted to be a coach. So in 2015, he reenrolled
at Ohio State, entering the sports department's degree completion
program. In 2016, at age 35 and with eight years of sobriety under his
belt, Olivea earned his college degree in sports industry and received
his diploma.

"I looked at it like three times," Olivea said told the Dispatch. "I
never thought I'd ever see a college diploma with my name on it."
Former teammates mourn Olivea's death

Olivea was mourned by a number of his former Ohio State and Chargers
teammates on social media, who said they remember him as a gentle giant
who was an absolute beast on the gridiron.