(CNN) — The rough sports he loved may have helped to do Kosta Karageorge in at age 22. He gained attention as a 6′-5″, 285-lb. Ohio State football defensive tackle, but he was also a wrestler.
Police believe he shot himself but are still investigating. Near his body, which was found in a Dumpster, was a handgun.
But Karageorge suffered from concussions, his mother said, and they weighed heavily on him in the last text message he sent her from his cell phone.
"I am sorry if I am an embarrassment but these concussions have my head all f***ed up," he wrote early Wednesday. He was last seen alive minutes later, according to a tweet from his personal account.
Karageorge had gone for a walk that night, upset about something, Cleveland.com reported.
When he didn't show for football practice Wednesday morning, he was reported missing.
Police, some on horseback, scoured the area around campus for Karageorge. Students joined in, posting fliers with his photo under windshield wipers and on telephone posts.
Then on Sunday afternoon, a woman and her son scavenging containers came upon his body, Columbus police Sgt. Richard Weiner said. Police identified Karageorge by his tattoos.
The school's athletics department expressed shock and sadness over his death. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the Karageorge family, and those who knew him, during this most difficult time," it said in a statement.
The college athlete was a walkon player, who joined the Buckeye's team this season, Cleveland.com reported. He had wrestled at the school for three years.
Team physician Dr. Jim Borchers said that the team was not able to discuss or comment on Karageorge's medical care.
"First and foremost, our primary concern is for the health, safety and welfare of Kosta. … We are confident in our medical procedures and policies to return athletes to participation following injury or illness," Borchers said.
After night fell, hundreds of students gathered on campus at a statue of Ohio State University's founder to remember Karageorge. They stood in silence, heads bowed.