Former New York Jets center Nick Mangold , one of the franchise’s most popular and decorated players who helped lead the team to the AFC championship game twice, has died, the team announced Sunday . He was 41.

The Jets said in a statement on social media that Mangold died Saturday night from complications of kidney disease.

His death comes less than two weeks after the two-time All-Pro selection announced on social media that he had kidney disease and needed a transplant. He said he didn’t have any relatives who were able to donate, so he went public with the request for a donor with type O blood.

“I always knew this day would come, but I thought I would have had more time,” he wrote in a Oct. 14 message directed to the Jets and Ohio State communities.

“While this has been a t

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