Former NFL wide receiver Vincent Jackson died at the age of 38 on Monday. He was found dead in a hotel room in Florida, and the findings from his autopsy have been revealed. Sheriff Chad Chronister of the Hillsborough Sheriff’s Office in Florida appeared on the MJ Morning Show and said: “We got the autopsy report that will be released today showed, unfortunately, he suffered from chronic alcoholism. Just tragic!”
The official cause of death has not been released as officials are waiting for the toxicology report. However, Chronister stated that Jackson had “long-standing health conditions that contributed to his passing because of some alcohol abuse.” Jackson was discovered by a housekeeper at Homewood Suites hotel in Brandon, Florida. He checked into the hotel in January. Officials spoke to Jackson’s family on Feb. 10 after they reported him missing.
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When talking about why Jackson was staying in a hotel, Chronister said: “Well this is true speculation but what the family is telling me is that he suffered from CTE. They believe he had a lot of concussion problems and when you suffer from that, you’re not yourself.” He further added: “[The family believes] wholeheartedly all of these actions are the result of what he suffered while he was playing in the NFL.”
Jackson played in the NFL from 2005-2016. He spent his first seven seasons with the San Diego Chargers and then played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He reached the Bowl three times in his career and recorded 540 receptions for 9,080 yards and 57 touchdowns.
“We are shocked and saddened to hear the terrible news regarding the loss of Vincent Jackson,” Buccaneers owner and co-chairman Bryan Glazer said in a statement. “During his five seasons with our franchise, Vincent was a consummate professional, who took a great deal of pride in his performance on and off the football field. Vincent was a dedicated father, husband, businessman and philanthropist, who made a deep impact on our community through his unyielding advocacy for military families, supported by the Jackson in Action 83 Foundation.”
Jackson’s best season was in 2012, his first season with the Buccaneers recording 72 receptions for 1,384 yards and eight touchdowns. He was drafted by the Chargers in the second round in 2005 after having a standout career at Northern Colorado.
