TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — O.J. Murdock was still recovering from an injury that sidelined him all of last season, so the Tennessee Titans weren’t overly concerned when the receiver said he’d be a couple of days late reporting for training camp.
“I talked to him and just assumed it was a personal issue,” teammate Damian Williams said, recalling the last conversation he had with Murdock, who died Monday in an apparent suicide carried out in a car in front of his old high school in Tampa.
“It’s tough. He was always a happy guy who played around a lot and always had a smile on his face,” Williams added. “I definitely didn’t see it coming.”
Police spokeswoman Andrea Davis said officers found the athlete about 8:30 a.m. inside his car with what appeared to be self-inflicted gunshot wounds. The vehicle was parked in front of Middleton High School, where Murdock made a name for himself as a dynamic football player and state champion sprinter in track and field.
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