A preliminary report from the medical examiner said former NFL receiver Vincent Jackson was possibly up to three days dead when he was found in a hotel room in Hillsborough County, Fla, according to Tampa’s WFLA News.
Jackson was found by a hotel housekeeper around 11:30 a.m. Monday. He was 38 years old.
According to the Hillsborough County Department of Medical Investigators, hotel staff entered Jackson’s room on February 13 and February 14 and found Jackson sitting on the couch in an inclined position, assuming he was sleeping. Staff became concerned when they entered the room on February 15 and saw Jackson lying in the same position.
Family members reported Jackson missing on February 10. Jackson enrolled at the Homewood Suites on Feb. 11 and spoke to authorities on Feb. 12 after Hillsborough County Sheriff’s officials located him at the hotel. The report on missing persons was canceled after officials assessed Jackson’s well-being.
The exact cause of death is not yet known, although the preliminary medical report showed no signs of trauma.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff said Wednesday that he believes Jackson suffered from chronic alcoholism and concussion at the time of his death, according to ESPN’s Jenna Laine, although the family said the sheriff “does not speak on behalf of the Jackson family” . “
Family spokeswoman Allison Gorrell told Ken Bolson The New York Times that the family will donate Jackson’s brain to Boston University researchers to determine if he has chromic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease associated with recurrent head trauma.
“Vincent who he was would want to help as many people as possible,” Gorrell said. “It’s something his family wanted to do to get answers to some of their questions.”