Former Louisville Cardinals players put rivalry aside to help with Jared Lorenzen's funeral expenses

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Former Louisville Cardinals players are putting their rivalry with the Kentucky Wildcats aside and making contributions for the funeral of late former quarterback Jared Lorenzen.

Lorenzen died after battling kidney and heart issues as well as an infection, his family announced Wednesday. Lorenzen was 38.

EX-NFL QB JARED LORENZEN DEAD AT 38 AFTER BATTLING MULTIPLE HEALTH ISSUES, FAMILY SAYS

He played four seasons with the Kentucky Wildcats before going pro. He held the Wildcats record for most career passing yards with 10,354 and served as a backup quarterback for the New York Giants from 2006 to 2007.

Jamon Brown, a former Louisville Cardinals offensive lineman, was one of those players who tossed the rivalry aside to help Lorenzen’s family. The current Atlanta Falcons player told Forbes magazine he plans to give $5,000 to help cover the cost of the former quarterback’s funeral.

“I guess you can say he was a legend and in the state of Kentucky, and for me, it’s important to pay respect to those who came before me, whether they played for the University of Kentucky or Louisville,” Brown told Forbes.

“We wanted to be an example of how, no matter if you played for the blue or the red, how important it is for us to come together and support one another, both in and out of sports,” he said. “The rivalry between the schools is intense, and it’s great, but at the end of the day, all that doesn’t matter. What matters is that you remember that we’re all in this game of life together, whether you played for the blue or the red.”

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According to the magazine, two other former Louisville players – Deion Branch and Chris Redman – were also helping with contributions.