BOSTON -- The Massachusetts medical examiner's office has ruled that former New England Patriots defensive lineman Ron Brace likely died from an irregular heartbeat combined with a heart condition caused by high blood pressure.
An agency spokesman confirmed the cause of death Wednesday.
The manner of death was ruled natural and is not considered suspicious.
Brace died at his family's Springfield, Massachusetts, home in April. He was 29.
The 6-foot-3, 330-pound Brace grew up in Springfield and attended Burncoat High School in Worcester, Massachusetts. After a standout career at Boston College, he was drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 2009 draft and played 39 games in four seasons with the team.