Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Richard Collier was shot while waiting in a car outside a Jacksonville apartment on Tuesday morning.  He sustained life threatening injuries and is in critical condition.

Collier, 26, and former Jaguars player Kenneth Pettway were waiting in a car when a gunman shot into the vehicle, Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office spokesman Ken Jefferson said. Collier was shot several times but it’s not clear where he was hit.

Collier was in critical condition at Shands Jacksonville Medical Center, a hospital official said. The motive behind the attack was unclear, and the sheriff’s office was investigating. Pettway, who was released in final cuts Saturday, was not injured in the attack.

The shooting happened around 2:45 a.m. in a middle- to upper middle-class neighborhood just west of downtown Jacksonville and blocks from the St. Johns River.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Collier and his family.  He is the third NFL player to be shot in the past year.