Former Giants Offensive Lineman Mitch Petrus Dies From Heat Stroke at 32

Petrus was working outside on Thursday during a heat advisory in Arkansas before his death.

Former Giants offensive lineman Mitch Petrus died Thursday night of an apparent heat stroke, the Pulaski County Coroner confirmed to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. He was only 32.

Petrus, who played three NFL seasons, died at 10:45 p.m. after being taken to Baptists Health Medical Center-North Little Rock. The coroner's records say Petrus reported feeling ill after working all day outside and in his family's shop before he was hospitalized. There had been a heat advisory in effect for much of Arkansas on Thursday.

A walk-on at the University of Arkansas, Petrus earned all-Southeastern Conference honors during his junior and senior seasons. The Giants took the 6'3", 300-pound guard in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL draft. Petrus went on to win a Super Bowl with New York in his second season and finished his stint with the team with 23 appearances and three starts. He concluded his three-year professional career with a season split between the Giants, Patriots and Titans.

Petrus returned to central Arkansas after retiring from the NFL in 2013. He is the second player from the Giants’ Super Bowl XLVI squad to have died recently. Backup quarterback Jared Lorenzen died July 3 after battling both kidney and heart issues as well as an infection. Lorenzen was 38.