Jake Ehlinger, Brother to Colts' Player Sam Ehlinger, Found Dead

Only days after Sam Ehlinger was drafted as a quarterback to the Indianapolis Colts, the new NFL player's younger brother, Jake Ehlinger, was found dead.

The heartbreaking news comes on the tail of what should be a euphoric moment for the family. The Ehlinger family has remained quiet as they deal with the loss of Jake, and it's currently unclear what this might mean for Sam's inaugural season with the Colts. 

Many Colts fans are familiar with the Ehlinger family as Sam prepared for his first season as a draft pick after playing for the University of Texas at Austin for four seasons. Sam was selected during the sixth round of draft picks.

While the public is reeling with the news, there is little information made public about how Jake died as the family grieves.

The University of Texas at Austin football player was the younger brother of newly-drafted quarterback Sam Ehlinger. The two brothers played together for a couple of seasons before Sam decided to pursue a career with the NFL.

Jake joined the Texas Longhorns as a walk-on linebacker after receiving interest from other schools such as Brown, Incarnate Word, and Penn. During his senior year of high school, Jake raked up 97 tackles while at Austin Westlake High School.

During his first two seasons, he did not receive any playing time, though he did secure two spots on the Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll during his time with the team.

Jake's photo was accidentally used during Sam's drafting announcement, though the older brother laughed about the mishap.

“Good, good,” he told reporters following the mistake. “Jake deserves all the screen time you can get.”

At this time, there is no cause of death given for Jake, though authorities have stated his death is "not considered suspicious," according to CBS. Authorities were called to an address on West 22nd Street in Austin at 12:18 p.m. on May 6. Jake's body was found there, though no other information has been released to the public at this time. The location was only a couple of miles away from campus.

At this time, no member of the Ehlinger family has spoken publicly about Jake's death, though the Colts' Twitter account retweeted a tweet from Jim Irsay, the owner and CEO of the Colts, offering the family his condolences.

"We grieve and weep with the Ehlinger family," he wrote. "Prayers, love, and support."

Others in the Ehlingers' community have also tweeted their support for the family following this tragedy.

The Texas Longhorns' Twitter account tweeted, "Our hearts are broken. We love you Jake. You’ll be dearly missed, but never forgotten." They also shared a compilation of Jake's best moments with the team.

This is not the first tragedy the family has suffered in recent years. Jake and Sam's father, Ross Ehlinger, died in 2013 at only 46. Ross died during the swimming portion of the "Escape from Alcatraz" triathlon, and an underlying health problem is assumed to be the cause of his death.