College linebacker Luke Knox, brother of Buffalo Bills tight end Dawson Knox, died suddenly Wednesday evening at the age of 22.
Florida International University (FIU) shared the news of Knox’s passing on Twitter, offering their condolences to Luke’s family, friends and teammates. Knox, who was a native of Brentwood, Tennessee, was studying business at FIU at the time of his death, ESPN reported.
We are saddened by the sudden passing of Luke Knox, a member of the FIU Football program.
We send our thoughts and prayers to Luke’s family, friends and teammates during this difficult time. pic.twitter.com/07tHUiBByj
— FIU Athletics (@FIUAthletics) August 18, 2022
“Words cannot express the heartfelt sorrow we feel because of the passing of our teammate and friend, Luke Knox,” FIU coach Mike MacIntyre said in a statement shared on Twitter. “I had the honor of coaching Luke at Ole Miss and FIU. While I admired his passion for football, his genuine love for his family and teammates is what I will always remember. He had a special way of making everyone around him feel comfortable and confident.”
Knox’s cause of death was not immediately available, but the university reportedly said that local law enforcement do not believe foul play was involved, ESPN continued. (RELATED: NFL Must Have Minority And/Or Female Offensive Assistant Coach For 2022 Season)
The linebacker originally played four seasons for Ole Miss in 2019 before recently transferring to FIU, the outlet continued. Knox played largely in special teams over the last two seasons, recording 11 tackles in 2021, ESPN noted.
“My heart goes out to — our hearts go out to Dawson and his family during this time,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said in a statement, according to ESPN, “We’re right there with him and supporting him and his family and just tragic news that I woke up to this morning. So we love him, and we support him and just unfortunate news this morning.”