NFL
Published December 22, 2023, 1:32 am ET
Authorities have announced the cause of death of former NFL wide receiver Mike Williams.
Williams died of rare bacterial sepsis and related complications in the days after he was removed from life support following a workplace accident in late August, the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner's Office said, according to multiple reports.
The former Buccaneers wideout died on September 12th at the age of 36.
Williams worked for contractor Exodus Electric Corp. in Tampa when he suffered an accident at the end of the summer that resulted in a head injury.
The first summary case report stated that the cause of death was “bacterial sepsis with brain abscesses and necrotizing lobar pneumonia due to multiple dental caries and retained tooth roots.”
Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease was also listed as a cause of Williams' death.
The full toxicology report and autopsy are pending.
The coroner announced the official cause of death for Williams this week. AP
Williams' next of kin reportedly said he consumed kratom, a legal herbal supplement, daily.
According to the documents, there was no evidence of foul play and Williams was described as having died of natural causes.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, Williams' family expressed concerns that unprescribed medications were being brought to him by visitors during his hospital stay.
Tampa police had previously launched an investigation into what led to Williams' death, but the investigation was closed, the outlet reported.
Former Buccaneers and Bills receiver Mike Williams died earlier this year. Portal
Williams was taken to the hospital the day after the workplace accident and admitted to the intensive care unit with acute hypoxic respiratory failure, cardiac arrest and sepsis due to multiple brain abscesses.
On September 1, he suffered cardiac arrest and was intubated and sedated after cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
Williams was transferred to hospice care on September 7 and died five days later.
Williams was selected by the Buccaneers out of Syracuse in 2010 and played there from 2010 to 2013, scoring 11 touchdowns in his rookie season.
He was traded to his hometown Bills in 2014 and played one more season with the Chiefs in 2016, although he did not play a regular season game for them.
During his NFL career, he totaled 223 catches for 3,089 yards and 26 touchdowns.
Load More…
{{#isDisplay}} {{/isDisplay}}{{#isAniviewVideo}} {{/isAniviewVideo}}{{#isSRVideo}} {{/isSRVideo}}
https://nypost.com/2023/12/22/sports/ex-buccaneers-star-receiver-mike-williams-cause-of-death-revealed/?utm_source=url_sitebuttons&utm_medium=site%20buttons&utm_campaign=site%20buttons
Copy the URL to share