High school football coach Mo Collins dies at 38

Former Oakland Raiders offensive lineman Damon ‘Mo’ Collins died “unexpectedly” Sunday morning, according to the Charlotte Observer.

He was 38 years old.

Collins had been receiving dialysis treatments for kidney failure. Knee problems forced an early end to Collins’ NFL career in 2004 when he was released by the Raiders. His last NFL game was Super Bowl 37, where the Raiders lost the Buccaneers.

Collins played college football for the Florida Gators and was drafted in the first round in 1998.

News of his death has devastated students at West Charlotte High School, where Collins had coached football. Collins was a Charlotte native and also attended West Charlotte High. Since his retirement, Collins was a staple in the Charlotte community, providing mentorship to area youth.

One of his students, junior Malachi Williams told WCNC’s Dan Yesenowsky:

It’s a big, big, big heartbreak. You know somebody you’ve got depending on you and then, just knowing he’s gone […] He took me up under his wing like a father would.

The Oakland Raiders tweeted their sympathy to Williams’ family:

In an interview withe the Charlotte Observer’s Langton Wertz Jr. earlier this year, Collins emphasized how much he giving back to his hometown meant to him:

West Charlotte is where it all started. You hear how bad it is and what’s happening. All you hear is negative things. I wanted to find out what it was myself. When I got in there, these were still kids and they deserve some positive people to see and be around, especially people their color. Me coming back was saying, ‘I care about you.’ I’m not doing it for money or status, by no means. I’m not trying to stay relevant. I have a job to show them what it is to be a man, to have a strong work ethic. Instead of me donating money – and money is always good for a program – but giving these boys this type of attention and male leadership, I think, I hope, will be invaluable to them.

Click here to read more stories on theGrio.com