Defensive end went into cardiac arrest on Sunday morning the player was pronounced dead at a hospital in South Carolina

The Chicago Bears defensive end Gaines Adams has died aged 26 following a cardiac arrest. NFL.com, the league's official website, said that "league sources" had confirmed the death to them, with local media in South Carolina reporting that Gaines had been pronounced dead at a hospital in Greenwood County on Sunday morning.

According to NFL.com, the Greenwood County Coroner Jim Coursey said that Adams had gone into a cardiac arrest because of an enlarged heart. Adams' girlfriend had called for an ambulance after he experienced "health issues" and he was taken to the Self Regional Hospital where he was pronounced dead in the emergency room at 8:21am local time.

Adams joined the Bears last October, having been drafted by Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2007. He played 37 games for Tampa Bay with 13.5 sacks before being traded to the Bears, where he played an additional 10 games.

The NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, in California to attend the NFC divisional play-off between the San Diego Chargers and the New York Jets, issued a statement paying tribute to Adams.

"We just arrived in San Diego and heard the sad news about the death of Gaines Adams," Goodell said. "I remember him at the 2007 draft as a fine young man. Our condolences to Gaines' family, his team-mates on the Bears and Buccaneers and their organisations on their loss."