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The cause of death for former NFL receiver Charles Johnson has finally been revealed. The case was ruled a suicide stemming from a drug overdose, according to a report from the North Carolina state medical examiner.
The 50-year-old was found dead in a Hampton Inn down the street from his house on July 17 in Raleigh, North Carolina. He had been reported missing by his wife the day before, with no prior record of drug use. USA Today’s Brent Schrotenboer obtained the medical examiner’s report which found “acute oxycodone, hydrocodone and mirtazapine toxicity” in his bloodstream.
Johnson was found unresponsive sprawled out on the bed in his hotel room and immediately pronounced dead at the scene, per Schrotenboer. The report added: “In the previous week, he had been acting strange and had recently purchased a funeral and cremation service.”
Johnson retired from the NFL at the end of the 2002 season after playing for four different franchises during a nine-year career, including stints with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots, and Buffalo Bills. He won a Super Bowl catching passes from Tom Brady in 2002.
Prior to that, Johnson had a stellar two-year run in Philly where he was viewed as a “mentor” to a rookie quarterback named Donovan McNabb. He had 90 receptions for 1,056 and 8 touchdowns in 27 starts for the Eagles; in addition, Johnson left the league with 354 career catches for 4,606 yards and 24 touchdowns. He was a first-round pick of the Steelers who selected him at No. 17 overall in 1994.
College Football Hall of Fame Elects 3 Eagles
Three former Eagles players are preparing for immortality as part of the 2023 College Football Hall of Fame Class. Troy Vincent, Brian Westbrook, and Jeremy Maclin are all set to be inducted at the 65th National Football Foundation (NFF) Annual Awards Dinner in Las Vegas on December 5, 2023. Other notable names being enshrined include Tim Tebow, Reggie Bush, Dwight Freeney, Eric Berry, and Luke Kuechly.
Tebow signed a two-year contract with the Eagles in 2015 but didn’t make the 53-man roster after losing the third-string quarterback job to Matt Barkley. He went 21-of-36 for 286 yards, with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception in 4 preseason games. That was under the infamous and ill-fated Chip Kelly regime.
Meanwhile, Vincent was one of the greatest cornerbacks to ever suit up in midnight green and his 28 interceptions rank No. 7 on the all-time franchise list. Westbrook was an elite running back who doubled as a serious threat out of the backfield. He ranks No. 3 in rushing yards (5,995) and No. 14 in receiving yards (3,790) in franchise history. Maclin was a pristine route runner with great hands. He made 343 receptions for 4,771 yards and 36 touchdowns in 75 games for Philly.
Eagles Donate Money in Honor of Damar Hamlin
The Eagles announced that the organization had donated $30,003 to three separate charity foundations to increase awareness in the aftermath of the Damar Hamlin tragedy. The Bills safety is out of the hospital and back home with his family following a scary incident in Cincinnati where he went into cardiac arrest on the football field.
The Eagles have been very vocal, on social media and in press conferences, about their continued support for Hamlin. Head coach Nick Sirianni spoke on how he planned to balance getting his own players back on the field while still respecting the severity of the situation.
“There are just a lot of emotions that you have to go through, but to me it is just the support aspect of it,” Sirianni told reporters on January 4. “The last thing on my mind is how do I convince them that, like you said, they have to go out and play. We’re just here for them right now and trying to just be there for them, and this is an opportunity for us to practice what we preach.”
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