Matt Ulrich, Former NFL Player, Dead At 41

Former NFL player, Matt Ulrich, has died. He was just 41 years old. Owner of the Indianapolis Colts, Jim Irsay, commented on his death on X, formerly known as Twitter. "I am heartbroken to hear of the passing of Matt Ulrich. Matt was with us only two seasons, but left his mark on many. Great guy, I hear he was a great dad — and he was a Super Bowl champ. My prayers to his family," Irsay wrote. "I played high school football with Matt and he was an amazing human!! Thank you for showing him the love!!" an X user replied. "Damn...I'm sorry to hear that....I remember Matt when he was with us... prayers for the family," another wrote.

Ulrich leaves behind his wife Alison and their four children. He once told Montana Sports that other than playing in the Super Bowl with his team, his greatest moments were welcoming his kids and getting married. "One of the best days outside the four of my four children's births and my wedding," he shared. Details surrounding his death were not given at the time of the announcement.

Matt Ulrich only played for the Indianapolis Colts for two seasons, but they were good ones, having won the Super Bowl XLI with his teammates. Following his big win, Ulrich retired. "I mean, I'd love to tell you that I could have played for another decade. But the fact of the matter is, and I've probably said this to you before, that the NFL stands for 'Not For Long,' he told Montana Sports. "I tell the athletes I work with, have something past football. That's why I went to Northwestern University, it's why I advise all of my athletes to think critically about what they want to do beyond athletics," he continued.

Following his retirement, Ulrich worked as a chief growth officer and partner at a business-building service, Profitable Ideas Exchange. When he wasn't working, he served as an advisor for the Harvard Football Players Health Study and coached budding athletes around his hometown of Bozeman, Montana, per his bio. After news of the athlete's death broke, the CEO of PIE, Tom McMakin, donated $20,000 to a fundraiser set up for the late football player's family, TMZ Sports reported. So far, $30,000 has been raised. McMakin only had kind words to say for Ulrich and stated, "He helped build our company and he was the heart and soul to the business. It's the least we could do."