Rayme Olsavsky, the wife of Steelers inside linebackers coach Jerry Olsavsky died on Friday morning, the team announced. Jerry Olsavsky has been absent from the open portions of practice this week.
The team released a statement on her death:
“The Pittsburgh Steelers have heavy hearts with the unfortunate passing of Rayme Olsavsky. Words cannot express our sadness for Jerry and the loss of his wife. We will continue to support Jerry through this difficult time.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with Jerry and their entire families, including his three children Joseph, Emma and Dominic.”
Jerry Olsavsky has been a coach with the Steelers since 2010. He also coached at Youngstown State in his hometown of Youngstown, Ohio from 2003-09. Olsavsky played inside linebacker for the Steelers from for nine seasons after being a 10th-round pick out of Pitt in the 1989 NFL Draft.
It’s unclear if Olsavsky will coach when the Steelers host the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
Olsavsky had a great career with Pitt, recording three straight 100-tackle seasons. In 1988 as a senior, he was named a First-Team All-American.
my condolensces go out to my dear friend Jerry O he was a great teammate at PITT. I was the assistant Equipment Manager.