Ex-Miami Hurricanes football player dies after causeway crash

JoJo Nicolas was involved in causeway crash Tuesday

MIAMI – Former University of Miami football player JoJo Nicolas died Wednesday after Tuesday's crash on the MacArthur Causeway.

Nicolas had been in critical condition since he crashed into the back of an 18-wheel truck Tuesday morning in the westbound lanes of the MacArthur Causeway.

Nicolas' brother, Abner Davis, spoke to the media Wednesday night outside Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center, saying Nicolas passed away about 5 p.m.

"The entire University of Miami family mourns the loss of JoJo Nicolas who passed away earlier this evening," Miami athletic director Blake James said. "JoJo was a valued member of our community, our school and our football program, and his loss is devastating to everyone he touched. On behalf of the university, I send our condolences and thoughts and prayers to JoJo's family, friends and teammates. He will forever be a part of The U."

A four-year letter winner for the Miami Hurricanes from 2007-11, Nicolas was the recipient of Miami's 2011 Melching Leadership Award at the team's banquet at the end of the season. As a senior in 2011, the university said he recorded 66 tackles and two interceptions.

According to his Twitter account, the former Hurricanes safety had been celebrating his birthday at Mansion nightclub.

Hurricanes football coach Al Golden, who was seen at the hospital Tuesday, issued a statement after the news of Nicolas' death.

"The University of Miami community has suffered a deep loss, with the passing of JoJo Nicolas," Golden said Wednesday. "For all of us who were fortunate to know JoJo -- to coach him, teach him, play alongside him or simply to befriend him -- we will forever carry his memory with us. Our prayers go out to his family and his loved ones, and he will always be a cherished member of our family."

Nicolas, a 2011 graduate of the University of Miami, signed with the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2012.