Ohio State Athlete Kosta Karageorge Found Dead: Football Player Died Of Apparent Self Inflicted Gunshot Wound; Investigation Is Ongoing [PHOTO]

This past Sunday afternoon, the body of missing Ohio State University athlete Kosta Karageorge was found. Yahoo Sports reports that Karageorge's family reported him as reported missing on Wednesday, and his body was subsequently found near his apartment in Columbus, Ohio.

According to CNN, Karageorge, a 22-year-old fifth-year senior, had missed football practice on Wednesday and hadn't been seen since. When his body was located, it was found inside a dumpster and identified at the scene through tattoos. He appeared to have died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and a handgun was recovered at the scene. An investigation is ongoing.

Before joining the football team as part of the defensive line this past August, Karageorge previously spent three seasons with the OSU wrestling team.

A recent police report states that Karageorge struggled with sports-related concussions, and that he had suffered one a month prior. On the Wednesday he went missing, he texted his mother referencing his concussions and apologized for being an embarrassment. The message read, "I am sorry if I am an embarrassment but these concussions have my head all f***ed up."

When Karageorge was first reported missing, coach Urban Meyer called his disappearance "unbelievable" and said, "All you can do is grab a knee and play hard." Meyer continued, "I know there's a lot of prayers on the team because a lot of the guys are friends with Kosta...He was only with us since August, so I didn't know him that well but talked to his mom a few times. Just come home safe, man."

Ohio State left tackle Taylor Decker added, ""I mean, I was friends with Kosta before he even joined the team...He's a great guy, and just for something like that to happen, it's obviously a shame. Coming from the wrestling team and coming to help us, you just really hope a guy like that is safe. Stuff like that is a lot bigger than football."

Following the news of his death, Ohio State University released a statement reading, "The Ohio State University Department of Athletics was shocked and saddened to learn today of the death of student-athlete Kosta Karageorge, a senior from Columbus...Our thoughts and prayers are with the Karageorge family, and those who knew him, during this most difficult time."

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Kosta Karageorge
Ohio State University
missing
dead
death
concussions
Urban Meyer
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