Steelers' former first-round pick's son Jamain Stephens passes away at 20

On Tuesday, California University of Pennsylvania defensive lineman Jamain Stephens passed away. The young athlete was only 20 years old. Stephens was the son of a former Pittsburgh Steelers first-round pick also named Jamain Stephens. As per reports, Jamain ‘Juice’ Stephens Jr had played 32 games at Cal U and was going to start his senior season soon. 

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Son of former Steelers first-round pick Jamain Stephens passes away after COVID-19 complications

The news of Jamain Stephens' untimely death was announced by his school – Central Catholic High School – on Tuesday. As per reports, Stephens was playing for Cal U since the 2017-18 season. Dr Karen Hjerpe, the athletic director at Cal U, released a statement on his death. “Jamain was such a wonderful student with a smile on his face every time you saw him," Dr Hjerpe added while mentioning that his personality was contagious and the former Viking linesman had an impact on everyone he met. 

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Stephens was a Central Catholic High School graduate and was about to start his senior season. According to KDKA-TV news staff, Stephens passed away a few weeks before his 21st birthday. In the school's social media posts, they revealed that he died “after suffering from complications of COVID-19". 

The school further confirmed September 8 as the day of death. The school added that after his time at Central Catholic High School, Stephens played for Cal U and was majoring in Business Administration. During his time as a Viking, their school won two Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) championships, along with the 2015 state championship. Stephens continued to support the Vikings and often visited games. 

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We join Cal U in mourning the loss of Jamain Stephens. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and teammates during this time. https://t.co/wswG4z6TKs

— NCAA (@NCAA)

Jamain Stephens son Twitter video

Who said linemen don’t got hands???👀👀 ft. @iankendall_16 respect it😂💯 pic.twitter.com/mBcX8lKB2V

— Jamain Stephens (@StephensJamain)

Stephens' father was the 29th overall first-round draft pick in 1996 after a very successful college career at North Carolina A&T. After a few seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals in 1999. He played for them till 2002 and was released after Marvin Lewis was signed as the head coach. 

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(Image credits: Jamain Stephens Twitter)