The Nigerian-born player conducting an individual practice in Belgrade when he suddenly collapsed and was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
- Aug 8, 2020
AceShowbiz - Michael Ojo's friends and family are in mourning. The former Florida State University center has died from a reported heart attack after collapsing during training. The university and his former club, Red Star Belgrade, confirmed the heartbreaking news on Friday, August 7. He was 27.
The Nigerian-born player was conducting an individual practice in Belgrade when he suddenly collapsed. He was then taken to a nearby hospital, but doctors were not able to resuscitate him. His exact cause of death is currently unclear, but reports suggested that he suffered from a heart attack. Ojo was also reported to be contracting coronavirus, but had since been recovered prior to his death.
In a statement confirming his passing, Red Star Belgrade said that all players in the club were left shocked and surprised. "The sudden and shocking death has deeply shaken everyone in the club," so the statement read.
Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton has also paid tribute to Ojo following news of his death. He said, "In all of my years of coaching, I've never been around a person who captivated the emotions of everybody he came into contact with like Michael. He had to be the most popular person in Tallahassee, and, certainly at Florida State University."
He continued, "Michael Ojo was a wonderful, wonderful human being. He was a great teammate and really represented what the Seminole spirit is all about. He was one of the purest Seminoles that I have ever been around; he will be missed tremendously by the whole Seminole nation."
Ever since graduating from FSU, where he was named to the ACC academic honor roll after completing a master's degree in international studies, Ojo had played in Serbia for the past three seasons. He started his professional career with FMP Belgrade before moving to Red Star Belgrade.
