What happened to Shane Olivea? Former Chargers OT dead at 40

The Los Angeles Chargers and the NFL are mourning in unison for the untimely death of former offensive lineman Shane Olivea. Olivea was 40-years-old at the time of his passing. The Chargers organization was the first to release a statement announcing his death on the team's website on Thursday.

Olivea was a seventh-round draft choice by the then-San Diego Chargers in the much-heralded 2004 draft class. Olivea played four seasons in the NFL, all with the Chargers.

His career highlights include an appearance on the 2004 All-Rookie team. He started 60 total games for the franchise at right tackle and contributed to LaDainian Tomlinson's 28-touchdown season in 2006. They finished 2006 with an NFL-best record of 14-2.

How did Shane Olivea die?

Former Los Angeles Chargers offensive lineman Shane Olivea (Courtesy of 10news.com)

No cause of death has been released to the public yet. The former Ohio State Buckeye was just 40 years old but had a history of addiction to prescription painkillers.

The Chargers released him in 2008 as a result of his addiction. He developed his dependence to opioids during his rookie season and attempted to get clean in rehab. No other NFL team took another chance on him after he was released.

Shane Olivea was open and honest about his past in an interview conducted with The Dispatch. He said:

"At my height on Vicodin, I would take 125 a day. "It got to the point I would take a pile of 15 Vicodin and would have to take them with chocolate milk. If I did it with water or Gatorade, I'd throw it up."

Although his NFL career ended, Olivea did play two seasons in the United States Football League. He also went on to graduate from Ohio State in 2016 with a degree in the sports industry.

Olivea was highly respected and loved by teammates and the University of Ohio State.

Our sympathies at Sportskeeda go out to the Olivea family, the Chargers organization, and Ohio State University during these tragic times.