Report: Ex-Patriots Lineman Dies Of Heat Stroke

Officials confirm that former New England Patriots and New York Giants offensive lineman Mitch Petrus died of heat stroke.

Pulasky County Coroner Gerone Hobbs says the former linebacker died Thursday night at a North Little Rock hospital. Petrus had worked outside all day at his family shop, and his body couldn’t handle the heat.

Petrus was a University of Arkansas walk-on who played alongside Razorback greats Darren McFadden and Felix Jones and later earned his all-Southeastern Conference honors. The New York Giants drafted him in the fifth round in 2010, and he had a three-year career in the NFL. He won a Super Bowl with the Giants in his second season, and also played for the New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans.

official Razorbacks twitter account posted a tribute to Petrus on Friday morning.

The US is affected by an intense heat wave, and Arkansas is no exception.

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Mitch Petrus. He was an outstanding competitor, incredible teammate and a true Hog. He will be greatly missed by many. Rest easy Mitch.”

The situation is really serious, and many events have been cancelled these days.

New York City Triathlon canceled the race organized for Sunday.

“Race day temperature and humidity levels are projected to reach extreme levels,” organizers said in a statement Thursday. “After exhausting all options to mitigate athlete, volunteer, spectator and staff exposure alike, we are unable to provide either a safe event experience or an alternate race weekend.”

New York City officials also decided to cancerl OZY Fest, a weekend outdoor festival in Central Park. The same applies to Saturday’s Coney Island Music Festival due to the heat wave.

In Chicago, a 5K race organized for Saturday was canceled, as confirmed by the Chicago Fire Department.

Heat may cause serious damage, and officials have already warned about the horror. Petrus is one of the many victims of this heat stroke, and hopefully, people will understand the severity of the problem. Heat isn’t something you joke about.

We send our thoughts and prayers to Petrus’ family.