The heartbroken Louis Nix III’s mother paid tribute to the former Notre Dame star and defensive lineman for the Giants, who was found dead on Saturday at the age of 29.
Stephanie Wingfield remembered the Jacksonville, Florida native as incredibly kind and always willing to help a friend.
“If his head wasn’t attached to the body, he would give it to you”, she told Action News in Jacksonville on Sunday. “People wanted autographs. He was never too busy, he always gave an autograph. I always had time to talk to people. “
Nix was reported missing on Wednesday, and his car was found three days later at a lake in Jacksonville.
“Before they could say anything, ‘I’m sorry’, I started shouting, ‘No, no, no, no, no, no!'” Wingfield remembers the police informing her of the news.
A police investigation is underway, Wingfield said.
“God took him after he got him,” said Wingfield. “I don’t understand, but at least he left here with God in life.”
It is not yet known whether Nix’s death is related to an incident in December, when he was hospitalized for 10 days after being shot while filling his car tires at a gas station near Jacksonville airport.
Nix played four games for the Giants in 2015. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft, and also spent time with Washington and the Jaguars, pursuing a distinguished career at Notre Dame.
“There was a vibrant man who walked these corridors … We lost someone very early,” Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly told reporters on Monday. “We are devastated by this.”