Overview
- Online records from the Maricopa County medical examiner, reported Friday, attribute Josh Mauro’s death to acute combined fentanyl, cocaine and ethanol intoxication and classify it as an accident.
- Phoenix police responded to Mauro’s Arizona home on April 23, found him unresponsive, pronounced him dead at the scene and reported no obvious signs of foul play.
- Mauro’s family announced his passing on April 28, with his father, Greg, posting a public message asking for prayers as they mourned their loss.
- Mauro played eight NFL seasons after going undrafted out of Stanford, appearing in 80 games with 130 tackles and five sacks, largely with the Arizona Cardinals, who issued condolences along with former teammates.
- Combining fentanyl, a powerful opioid that slows breathing, with cocaine, which strains the heart, and alcohol, a depressant, can quickly overwhelm the body and lead to fatal respiratory or cardiac failure.