SAN DIEGO (CNS) - San Diego sports fans Thursday were mourning the death of former Chargers safety Paul Oliver, who took his own life at his home in Georgia at the age of 29.
Oliver died Tuesday night in Marietta, Ga., of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to Cobb County police, who said his wife, Chelsea, and two juveniles were witnesses. Oliver had two children.
"Everyone in the Chargers family is sad today after hearing the news about Paul,'' the team said in a statement. "He was part of our family for five years. At just 29 years old, he still had a lifetime in front of him.
"Right now all of our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this most difficult time.''
Safety Eric Weddle described his former teammate as "charismatic, funny but also quiet and reserved,'' according to U-T San Diego.
"He never said a bad word about anyone,'' Weddle told the newspaper.
"Just a good genuine guy. From the moment he got here, he was up front. Loved the game. You could always count on him ... You'd never think of something like this happened to a guy like that. It's surreal, really ...''
The Georgia-native was a fourth-round supplemental Chargers draft pick in 2007. He played for the Chargers from 2008 to 2011.
