Former San Diego Chargers Defensive End Adrian Dingle Dead At 45

Adrian Dingle, the former defensive end for the San Diego Chargers who had previously made waves as a student athlete in Clemson University died at 45 years old on Tuesday due to an unrevealed reason.

Dingle had played five seasons with the NFL, all with the San Diego Chargers, who had drafted him right off the bat when he graduated from Clemson University in 1999, although he was unable to play the season he was drafted due to a torn left ACL, according to ESPN.

The former defensive end has had a remarkable career before his short stint at the NFL, graduating from Roberts High School in South Carolina as the defensive MVP of the North-South High School All-Star game in 1994 before he was recruited to play for Clemson University, PEOPLE reported.

He became a defensive end for Clemson University, where he played for three years in 34 games, helping the university enter three bowl games at the course of his career, including a then-school record of 10.5 sacks during his final season as a senior in the school.

He ended up getting drafted at the 1999 NFL Draft’s fifth round, and playing for the San Diego Chargers until 2004. Head coach Marty Schottenheimer praised Dingle in 2003 as being “one of the most reserved players on the team” during his time as a defensive end.

“I'm going to go out there and do the same thing I've been doing, try to play the best I can to help the team win,” Dingle reportedly said at some point. “There's no extra excitement. You've got the same job to do.”

Meanwhile his former teammate Marcellus Wiley tweeted about his death.

Dingle’s death has yet to be publicly disclosed, but rumors had swirled that he had died from a vaccine-induced Sudden Death Adult Syndrome, which has been baselessly spreading on social media despite no evidence or proof regarding the matter, Techarp reported.

Amy Bell, Dingle’s fiancée, mourned the former defensive end’s death on Instagram, remembering “his infectious smile and his selfless love” as many friends and family shared their memories of Dingle to her.

“I've never met any other person who could meet someone once and go on to be a groomsman in a wedding. His smile will live on through his gorgeous babies who loved their daddy beyond measure,” she said.