Jacksonville football star Louis Nix III found dead, family says
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Family members confirmed to News4Jax that former NFL player Louis Nix III has died.
The former Raines High School football standout who went on to play at Notre Dame, spend two years with the Houston Texans and briefly sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars, was reported missing to police on Wednesday. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office sent out a tweet at 8 p.m. Saturday, saying they located Nix without saying where or how he was found.
JSO’s dive team pulled a silver Hyundai matching the 29-year-old car’s description and tag number out of a pond on Broxton Bay Drive, just south of River City Marketplace.
Nix’s brother told News4Jax later Saturday night that Nix is “gone.”
UPDATE: The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office has located Louis Nix. Thank you to all who shared his photo and information. pic.twitter.com/bhyz9W56Um — Jax Sheriff’s Office (@JSOPIO) February 28, 2021
Nix, 29, was injured in a shooting in December about a half-mile from where what is believed to be where his car was pulled from the water on Saturday night.
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His mother and brother told News4Jax earlier Saturday that the last time they were in touch with him was on Tuesday. Nix was supposed to meet his brother at his dad’s house, but he ended up leaving before his brother arrived and didn’t say where he was going.
“We kind of missed each other because once he got there, I had left to get something to eat, and I was on the way back, but he had already left by then,” he said.
According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, patrol officers were called to 42nd Street West on Wednesday because of a missing adult and efforts to locate Nix since were unsuccessful.
Ketarah Reed, Nix’s girlfriend, said she lived with Nix before he died. She said after Nix said he was on his way back home on Tuesday night after hanging out with a friend, she never heard from him again.
“The intentions were he was coming back here so we could just hang out, but he just never made it here,” Reed said. “I texted and I was, like, ‘Are you good,’ and he never texted me back, so I start calling and then his phone was ringing, and it just completely went out.”
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Reed said earlier that day, she had a great conversation with Nix and they were both sharing how much they loved and cared for each other.
Reed said he was not acting out of the ordinary that day. But she did say when he had went missing, that was unlike him, he always stays in contact.
“I’m with him every single day,” Reed said. “I’ve been with him since 2017. I know how he is.”
Nix’s brother said the same thing when News4Jax spoke with him earlier Saturday.
“We may not hear from him every day, but we hear from him at least every other day, or at some point, he’ll pull up,” he said.
Nix, a longtime football star in Jacksonville, was most recently in the news when he was shot while filling his tires at a Jacksonville gas station. He told News4Jax days after the harrowing encounter that he was “getting through it” and hoped it wouldn’t happen to anyone else.
Reed said she was still processing the fact that Nix was shot at the gas station minutes away from the pond where his car was found Saturday in December.
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“He just got shot by some random people in December,” Reed said. “We still are recovering from that, and then this happens.”
After graduating from Raines, Nix attended Notre Dame. His mother said people in Indiana near Notre Dame are concerned and trying to look as well. Notre Dame Coach Brian Kelly also released a statement on Twitter today asking for the community up there to work to look for him.
NOTRE DAME Nation: Let’s all do our best to reach out and connect with Louis Nix. Louis, let us know you are doing alright or that you may need your NOTRE DAME family and friends for assistance.☘️ pic.twitter.com/AF9fg8vN9K — Brian Kelly (@CoachBrianKelly) February 27, 2021
Nix, calling himself “Irish Chocolate,” was selected by the Houston Texans in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He underwent knee surgery before he could play any game and was released two years later. He was briefly with the New York Giants and Jacksonville Jaguars practice squads before the Jaguars signed him to a reserve/future contract in January 2017, but released him four months later.
DECEMBER STORY: 2 men sought after Jacksonville football star shot at gas station
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Nix recorded a video of himself as he was pulled into an ambulance after he was shot at the Gate gas station off Airport Center Drive in December.
“At the time, I would say, I felt close to death,” he told News4Jax days after the shooting. “I was shot in my chest and the bullet ricocheted to my sternum and to my lung and I’m currently dealing with a bullet in my lung right now.”
Nix said that while pumping air, two men walked up to him, flashing a light in his eye. He pushed back, then felt a shot in his chest.
The Sheriff’s Office said they’re still searching for two suspects in the case – two men that Nix said he didn’t know.
“I think it was just something random,” Nix said. “I feel like it could have been anybody.”
Missing former NFL player Louis Nix found dead in Florida
Former NFL defensive lineman Louis Nix was found dead Saturday at the age of 29, days after being reported missing in Jacksonville, Florida.
Nix’s death was confirmed by his mother after authorities pulled a vehicle matching his car’s description from a retention pond near his apartment, according to NBC affiliate WTLV. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said it was looking for Nix after he was reported missing Wednesday.
The department tweeted late Saturday that Nix had been “located” but did not provide further details. The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to an NBC News request for comment on Sunday.
It is not clear if a cause of death has been determined.
Nix was drafted by the Houston Texans in 2014 after a notable collegiate career at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. He was often affectionately known in college as “Irish Chocolate” or “Big Lou," according to a statement from Notre Dame announcing his death on Sunday.
The school described Nix as a four-star prospect who quickly helped “anchor the defensive front” for the team as they fought for championship titles. Nix was an All-American in his junior year, and began his senior year on both the Maxwell and Bednarik Award Watch Lists, Notre Dame said.
A knee injury he suffered during his final year at Notre Dame continued to ail him in the NFL, however.
He needed surgery before making it to the Texans training camp and another before the end of his rookie season, according to NBC Sports. Nix had stints with the Texans, the New York Giants, the Washington Football Team and the Jacksonville Jaguars during his three seasons in the NFL.
Nix was the victim of an armed robbery in December, when two men approached him as he was filling his tires at a gas station. Nix was shot and spent 10 days in the hospital after needing surgery for a bullet that ricocheted off his sternum and into his lung, according to Nix’s Twitter feed.
Louis Nix, “Irish Chocolate,” we carry these memories until we see you again 🙏 pic.twitter.com/ndTZ9DeaQP — Brian Kelly (@CoachBrianKelly) February 28, 2021
Friends, former teammates and coaches mourned Nix’s death, memorializing him on social media. Notre Dame Head Football Coach Brian Kelly posted a tribute video of Nix from his time at the university.
In one clip, Nix tells an interviewer that he just tries to remain true to himself and “be the guy that breaks the ice everywhere I go.”
Romeo Okwara, a defensive end for the Detroit Lions and a former Notre Dame athlete, tweeted that Nix would be “greatly missed.”
“Always wanted to put a smile on everyone’s face,” Okwara said. “Glad I got to share some unforgettable moments with you.”
Former Notre Dame star and NFL player Louis Nix III dies at 29
Former Notre Dame standout defensive lineman Louis Nix III, who spent three seasons in the NFL with multiple franchises from 2014-16, was found dead on Saturday in his hometown of Jacksonville, Florida, after being reported missing earlier in the week, the Fighting Irish announced on Sunday. Nix was 29 years old.
Nix’s family confirmed his death to CBS Sports and local Jacksonville media.
Nix’s mother reported her son as a missing person on Friday. She said he was last seen leaving his father’s house in Jacksonville on Tuesday. Nix and his mother speak frequently, so she told Ben Becker of WJAX-TV that her son’s sudden lack of communication was out of the ordinary for him.
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office on Saturday night announced they had “located” Nix but did not release any additional information. That announcement came less than an hour after authorities pulled a vehicle out of a pond that closely matched the description of Nix’s vehicle in a call earlier in the day to help find him.
Nix was recently shot while putting air in his tires during a gas station robbery in December 2020. His mother said she did not believe that incident was related to his disappearance. However, she did say that Nix had been hesitant to leave his house and carefully watched his surroundings. He underwent surgery after the shooting and said on Twitter that the bullet ricocheted off his sternum and into his lung.
After leaving Notre Dame following the 2013 season, Nix hopped around the NFL with four teams in three seasons, most recently the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2016. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft after notching 122 tackles and 14 TFLs during his time with the Fighting Irish.