Josh Mauro’s final days detailed in medical examiner report
A new report says the former NFL defensive lineman used cocaine and alcohol for days before his accidental overdose death in Arizona.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
2 min read
Former NFL player Josh Mauro spent the days before his death using cocaine and drinking alcohol at his Arizona home, according to the California Post, which cited a newly released Maricopa County Medical Examiner report.
Mauro, 35, died on April 23. Officials later determined his cause of death was “acute combined fentanyl, cocaine, and ethanol intoxication,” and the death was ruled accidental, TMZ previously reported.
The California Post reported that investigators pieced together Mauro’s final days through interviews with several women who had been at his home. Those accounts described people coming and going during a stretch of partying that reportedly continued into the hours before Mauro was found dead.
According to the report cited by the California Post, Mauro had been binge-drinking and using cocaine in the days before his death. Investigators also documented drug paraphernalia near his body, the outlet reported.
Items found at the scene reportedly included a bottle cap with a white substance inside, white powder near a rolled-up dollar bill, a syringe in a trash can and multiple tissues that appeared to be bloodstained.
Woman reportedly described Mauro’s final hours
The California Post reported that Mauro met a female dancer in mid-April, about a week before he died. She was later invited to his home on April 23, along with two other women and a friend, according to the report.
Police said the woman told investigators that Mauro and his friend snorted cocaine, drank tequila and listened to music, TMZ reported. She said she went to sleep while Mauro continued partying with his friend, and when she woke up, she found Mauro dead.
No allegation in the reporting indicates Mauro’s death was treated as anything other than an accident. The medical examiner’s finding attributed the death to the combined effects of fentanyl, cocaine and ethanol.
Family announced his death in April
Mauro’s father, Greg Mauro, announced his son’s death days after it happened, TMZ reported at the time. He asked for prayers while the family grieved, describing Josh as an “amazing son, brother, uncle, grandson and friend.”
Mauro entered the NFL in 2014 after going undrafted out of Stanford. He went on to play eight seasons in the league, spending time with the Arizona Cardinals, New York Giants, Oakland Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars.
Across 80 NFL games, Mauro recorded 130 tackles and five sacks.
This story draws on original reporting from TMZ.