California University of Pennsylvania offensive lineman and Central Catholic alumnus Jamain Stephens died at the age of 21 due to complications stemming from a COVID-19 infection, Central Catholic announced in a press release on Tuesday. Pittsburgh Sports Now could not independently confirm his cause of death.
Stephens, the son of former Steelers offensive lineman Jamain Stephens, was a 2017 graduate of Central Catholic and was a three-year contributor for the Cal U Vulcans football team.
Nicknamed “Juice,” Stephens was entering his senior year at Cal and was planning to graduate with a degree in business administration.
“Jamain was such a wonderful student with a smile on his face every time you saw him,” Cal U. athletic director Dr. Karen Hjerpe said in a press release. “His personality was contagious and he made such a positive impact on everyone he met.”
Stephens appeared in 32 games over three seasons as a reserve lineman for the Vulcans. In high school, he won back-to-back WPIAL championships with Central Catholic in 2015 and 2016.
He’s the first football player in Western Pennsylvania to reportedly die from COVID-19, the disease that is caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and has caused a global pandemic.
The Allegheny County Health Department has recorded 349 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
The Vulcans are a member of the Division-II Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, which postponed fall sports on July 15. It’s unclear if Stephens’ illness was related to his participation in team practices.
Both Cal U and Central Catholic have announced that counseling services are available for students. Memorial arrangements have not yet been announced.
If we are being honest it looks like he died of diabetes and morbid obesity. More often than not these folx have extremely fragile health and emotions.