Sep 25, 2022; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Retired New York Jets center Nick Mangold with his daughter before the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL and football world woke up on Sunday to learn the tragic news that former New York Jets and Ohio State Buckeyes' offensive lineman Nick Mangold had passed away at the young age of 41 due to complications from liver disease.

The news comes less than two weeks after Mangold announced to the world via a social media post that he would be entering dialysis and would be seeking a kidney transplant. The all-time NFL and Jets' legend had been struggling with kidney disease for nearly two decades.

"In 2006, I was diagnosed with a genetic defect that has led to chronic kidney disease," Mangold wrote in his letter to fans earlier this month. "I'm undergoing dialysis as we look for a kidney transplant. I always knew this day would come, but I thought I would have more time."

Mangold played 11 seasons with the Jets from 2006-2016 and was a seven-time Pro Bowler and a three-time All-Pro selection during his career. He was inducted into the Jets' "Ring of Honor" during the 2022 season. At the collegiate level, Mangold was an All-American and all-Big Ten selection and won a national championship with the Buckeyes.

"Nick was more than a legendary center," said Jets Chairman Woody Johnson in a statement released Sunday. "He was the heartbeat of our offensive line for a decade and a beloved teammate whose leadership and toughness defined an era of Jets football. Off the field, Nick's wit, warmth, and unwavering loyalty made him a cherished member of our extended Jets family."

But Johnson wasn't the only one to react to Mangold's untimely passing, as there was an outpouring of mourning across the football world. In one of the most heartbreaking, tear-jerking tributes, Mangold's former coach with the Jets, Rex Ryan, discussed Mangold's passing on ESPN.

"It's brutal. Such a great young man," Ryan said while attempting to hold back tears. "I had the pleasure of coaching him for all six years with the Jets. I remember it was obvious I was getting fired, my last game. Mangold's injured, like injured. And he comes to me and says 'I'm playing this game.' And he wanted to play for me. That's what I remember about this kid. He was awesome, and just way too young. And I feel so bad for his wife and family."

And the tributes didn't stop there. Mangold's former teammate along the offensive line for the Jets, Willie Colon, and former Jets' linebacker Bart Scott also shared heartfelt responses to their friend's passing on Sunday while giving television interviews.

"A loss of words was my initial reaction," Scott said. "It doesn't feel real, and it still doesn't feel real, and my heart just goes out for his children and his wife and his family. That was his world, and he was their world – and he was our world. He was bigger than life...this is a sad day for Jets Nation and especially for all those who knew and loved Nick Mangold."

"I found the news out this morning, and it broke me," Colon said. "When I got the nod from Rex Ryan to come to New York and play, I didn't just want to play for the Jets. I wanted to play with Nick Mangold. I wanted to play beside D'Brickashaw Ferguson, because we were all in the same draft class. We all got drafted in '06 together, so we had that kinship."

Mangold's former coach at Ohio State, Jim Tressel, posted a heartfelt statement on social media calling Mangold "everything you could wish for as a teammate, player, son, friend, husband, father, and American." Jets' beat reporter Rich Cimini said that "Nick was the rock, the pillar of that offensive line" when he played for the Jets, while the national NFL reporter Ari Meirov called him " one of the great centers of his era" and "one of the truly great people the NFL had."

Mangold's former Ohio State teammates were also devastated at the news. AJ Hawk said that it was "really cool to see how everyone there (in New York) looks at Nick, how they talk to him, because Nick has always been the same dude." Bobby Carpenter, meanwhile, said that Mangold was "the best dude you can imagine" and that his passing "left a giant hole in the world."

Check out some of the tributes to Nick Mangold below, and let me know how you're feeling after the passing of an NFL legend.

This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: The NFL, football world react to the tragic death of former Jets OL Nick Mangold

Reporting by Joe Smith, Touchdown Wire / Touchdown Wire

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect