Najai "Nitro" Turpin (December 19, 1981 – February 14, 2005) was a professional boxer born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
[1] On the show, he was placed on the East Coast team and pitted himself against Sergio Mora, a man seven inches taller than he was, in the first round.
He committed suicide on February 14, 2005, while sitting in a car with his girlfriend[2] and 2-year-old daughter.
However, the fact that he had not been allowed to fight between the time of his elimination from The Contender and the show's finale (so as not to spoil the ending), along with the low self-esteem that may have resulted from his defeat on the show may have contributed to his suicide.
Another contributing factor is considered to be the ongoing custody battle for his daughter.