UNLV football player Ben Christman died from cardiac arrhythmia, an irregular heartbeat and cardiomyopathy – a disease that makes it harder for the heart to pump blood around the body.
That is according to the coroner in Nevada who examined the body of the 21-year-old, who was found dead in his apartment back in February.
At the time, police documents – obtained by TMZ – revealed that Christman experienced chest pains during practice the day before his death.
Christman reportedly underwent an EKG – a test to check the heartbeat – on February 10 after complaining of chest pains, with a cardio doctor subsequently reviewing the tests but not finding anything alarming.
Following that practice, Christman reportedly returned home at around 3pm and went straight into his room after briefly greeting his roommate.
The next day, according to police documents, Christman was found by a teammate lying on his back, foaming at the mouth and with purple fingers.
UNLV offensive lineman Ben Christman was found dead in his apartment back in February
Christman began his college career at Ohio State, playing two seasons for the Buckeyes
A police officer reportedly arrived at the scene on the morning of February 11 – following a 911 call – and determined that Christman had been deceased for ‘a few hours’ due to the color of his right arm. The person who placed the 911 call and another teammate were administering CPR when the officer arrived.
Christman had missed practice that morning, leading his teammates to check on him. The roommate told cops that he had not seen Christman since he went into his room following the previous day’s practice. An obituary had previously said the offensive lineman died of natural causes.
The school released an emotional statement following Christman’s death. ‘Our team’s heart is broken to hear of Ben’s passing,’ new Rebels head coach Dan Mullen said.
‘Since the day Ben set foot on our campus a month ago, he made the Rebels a better program. Ben was an easy choice for our Leadership Committee as he had earned the immediate respect, admiration and friendship of all his teammates.’
‘Our prayers go out to his family and all who knew him. Ben made the world a better place and he will be missed.’
Christman had transferred to UNLV earlier this year after two seasons at Kentucky. Before that, he was a four-star recruit out of high school and played for two years at Ohio State.
The 6-foot-6, 325-pound Christman was entering his final season of college eligibility.
