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Family Fears Smuggled Drugs Led to Former NFL Star’s Shock Death

Mike Williams, 36, died after a construction accident, but his family think drugs snuck into the hospital may have complicated his recovery.

Family members of former NFL star Mike Williams, who died in a Tampa hospital earlier this month after a construction accident, believe drugs snuck into his hospital contributed to his death, the Tampa Bay Times reported Tuesday. Williams’ mom and grandma contacted cops about rumors that someone brought Williams the opioid Percocet the day he went into cardiac arrest. The Tampa Police Department confirmed it had opened a probe into the matter, but didn’t divulge any details. Three of Williams’ close friends told the Times he was supplied drugs by friends who visited his hospital room, which was less than two miles from where he once played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers between 2010 and 2013. Williams was being treated for a brain injury after a steel beam fell on his head at a construction site, paralyzing him from the waist down. Williams had a successful surgery and appeared to be on a road to recovery before he unexpectedly lost all brain activity.