Tennessee Titans’ WR Dead Of Apparent Suicide

Sad news from the sports world. It is being reported that O.J. Murdock, wide receiver for the Tennessee Titans, has committed suicide. From ESPN:

Hours after sending a gracious yet puzzling middle-of-the-night text message to a former college coach, police say Tennessee Titans receiver O.J. Murdock died in an apparent suicide.

Tampa police spokeswoman Andrea Davis said officers found Murdock about 8:30 a.m. inside his car with what appeared to be self-inflicted gunshot wounds. The car was parked in front of Middleton High School, where Murdock made a name for himself as a dynamic receiver and state champion sprinter in track and field.

Al McCray, assistant head coach/receivers at Fort Hays State, said when he woke up at his Kansas home on Monday he found a message on his cell phone from the player, thanking him for everything he had done for Murdock and his family. The athlete concluded the text with an apology that baffled McCray, who said he had known the 25-year-old since Murdock was in middle school.

Murdock was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2011 and spent all of last season on injured reserve after an Achilles injury during training camp. The ESPN report also says that he had not reported to camp yet this year for what the team said was a personal issue, so that sounds like it was an absence the team knew about and was OK with.

We should learn more what happened as time goes on. My thoughts are with Murdock’s family and friends at this time.