Earlier this year in February, we reported that former NFL star Vincent Jackson was found dead at the Homewood Suites in Brandon, Fla. He was 38.
At the time, a cause of death had yet to be determined, and police reported that there were no apparent signs of trauma. As is standard procedure, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office opened an investigation into the matter, and on Wednesday, the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner revealed the cause of Jackson’s death.
From CBS Sports:
According to the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s office, Jackson suffered from alcoholic cardiomyopathy, a condition that occurs when long-term alcohol use weakens the heart muscle. A toxicology report showed that three measurements of Jackson’s blood alcohol content ranged from 0.28 to 0.32, about four times beyond what is considered impairment in the state of Florida.
Jackson was found to have several blunt contusions to his head, torso, and extremities, and also had a mild case of atherosclerosis—a condition in which plaque buildup leads to a hardening of the arteries. While Jackson was found to have small cuts to his scalp and left big toe, there were no skull fractures.
According to a report by Jenna Laine of ESPN, other conditions that Jackson suffered from—all related to chronic alcohol use—included hepatic steatosis and fibrosis, esophageal varices, ascites, jaundice, remote pancreatitis, renal failure and hyponatremia dehydration, cardiovascular disease and intoxication by ethyl alcohol.
Source: Medical Examiner Reveals Cause of Vincent Jackson’s Death
