Colorado Mesa University football player Brett Ojiyi died early Saturday, Sept. 22 of a gunshot wound to the chest, Grand Junction police said.

“Brett has been a very good player for us the last couple of years,” Head Coach Russ Martin said. “It is a very unfortunate and tragic incident with his death. We’ve got to just put things back together for us, life continues to go on but I told the guys you can’t pretend it didn’t happen either. Anytime you have someone who is that close to you as a teammate or a family member, it’s going to have an effect.”

“It is with a heavy heart that I inform you of the loss of one of our students from a tragic accident,” CMU President Tim Foster said in an email to students and faculty.

Ojiyi was a junior exercise science major and has been a running back  — No. 24 — on the Maverick football team for four years.

Police have not released what led to the shooting but believe there was no foul play or suicidal intent. 

Mavericks took on Chadron State College on Sept. 22. They had a moment of silence to honor Ojiyi before the game.