Former San Diego Chargers and Buccaneers wide receiver, Vincent Jackson was found dead in his hotel room on Monday morning and is now thought to have suffered from chronic alcoholism and concussions as well.
As the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s office continues to investigate the death
of Jackson, they have learned from his family that he had used alcohol excessively in the weeks leading up to his death. There will be no confirmation on the exact cause of his death until the autopsy reports are released.
Doha Madani-Former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Vincent Jackson found dead at Tampa hotel-NBC News
Jackson was just 38 years old when he died and had been three years removed from retiring from the NFL. However, Jackson has not been on an active roster playing in the league since the 2016 NFL season. He spent his last two years as a free agent before finally retiring from the league.
During Vincent Jackson’s years playing in the NFL as a wide receiver, he eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards in 6 of his 12 seasons and was a 3x pro bowler. Jackson spent his first seven seasons with the Chargers, earning the privilege of participating in the NFL playoffs in 4 out of his 7 seasons with the team. Jackson would sign a 5-year, $55.55Mil deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he would spend the rest of his career before becoming a free agent in 2016 and ultimately retiring in 2018.
The family of Vincent Jackson has also stated that they believe the alcoholism he went through was directly connected to CTE from many concussions he sustained from his years playing in the NFL. However, autopsy reports are yet to be released to confirm the cause of death.
When speaking with ESPN, Hillsborough County Sheriff, Chad Chronister made a statement regarding the incident. "The Hillsborough County Medical Examiner's Office continues to conduct a thorough investigation alongside the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. Based on statements made by relatives of Jackson to detectives, his family had reason to believe he may have suffered from chronic alcoholism and concussions; however, the exact cause and manner of Mr. Jackson's death will not be certain until his autopsy, among other reports, is complete.” Chronister has also said that the family wholeheartedly believes the alcoholism was connected to CTE he sustained from twelve years in the NFL, but nothing is certain.
The family of Vincent Jackson has expressed their disapproval of Chronister’s statements. "Sheriff Chronister does not speak on behalf of the Jackson family," a Jackson family spokesperson later told ESPN. "The full autopsy report will not be available for weeks. Our focus right now is on laying Vincent to rest."
Vincent Jackson does have a history with alcohol, as he twice faced charges for a DUI. One of his charges was back in 2006, and the other was in the year 2009. He was also cited for driving with a suspended license in 2010. As a result, Jackson eventually had to serve a 3-game suspension from the NFL in violation of its personal conduct policy. He served the suspension for the first 3 games of the 2010 NFL season.