Former NFL receiver James Hardy’s death ruled a suicide
Now, following the local medical examiner’s review, we have more information. The death has been ruled a suicide, per Allen County Coroner’s Office chief investigator Michael Burris.
Burris spoke to ESPN.com Wednesday and said Hardy drowned. The official cause of the 31-year-old Hardy’s death: “asphyxia due to drowning.”
The ruling drew upon physical evidence in Hardy’s body and his psychiatric history. In 2014, Hardy resisted arrest during a run-in with police. He was arrested on felony charges following a dispute at his home. Hardy was then deemed unfit for trial and committed to a mental health facility.
Hardy was a second-round pick out of Indiana in 2008. He wrestled with injuries throughout his brief, three-year career. The tall receiver (he was 6’5″) played in 16 games for the Bills.
