According to a preliminary medical investigator report, former NFL-wide receiver Vincent Jackson may have been dead for up to three days when he was found in a hotel room in Hillsborough County, Florida, according to Tampa’s WFLA News.
Jackson was found by a hotel housekeeper at approximately 11:30 am Monday. He was 38 years old.
Hillsborough County Medical Examiner Department says hotel staff entered Jackson’s room on Feb. 13 and Feb. 14 and found Jackson on the couch in a slouched position, assuming he was asleep. The staff were concerned when they entered the room on February 15 and saw Jackson lying in the same position.
Relatives reported Jackson missing on February 10. Jackson checked into the Homewood Suites on Feb. 11 and spoke with authorities Feb. 12 after the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s located him at the hotel. The missing persons report was canceled after officials assessed Jackson’s welfare.
The exact cause of death is not yet known, although the preliminary medical report showed no signs of trauma.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday it believes Jackson was suffering from chronic alcoholism and concussion at the time of his death, according to ESPN’s Jenna Laine, although the family said the sheriff’s office “is not speaking on behalf of the Jackson family.”
Allison Gorrell, the family spokesman, told Ken Bolson about it The New York Times that the family will donate Jackson’s brain to researchers at Boston University to determine if he had chromic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease linked to recurring head trauma.
“Vincent who he was would have wanted to help as many people as possible,” said Gorrell. “It’s something his family wanted to do to get some of their questions answered.”