A former three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver has been found dead Monday in a Florida hotel room.
Vincent Jackson, who caught more than 500 passes in a 12-year career with the San Diego Chargers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was discovered at the Homewood Suites hotel in Brandon, Florida.
According to celebrity news site TMZ, which first reported the death, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately describe the cause of death but did confirm that it is investigating.
Mr. Jackson was 38.
Citing unnamed officials, TMZ said the football star’s family had filed a missing-persons report just last Thursday but police found him the next day at the hotel.
He had been at the hotel, for reasons TMZ described as unclear, for about a month.
“My heart aches for the many loved ones Vincent Jackson leaves behind, from his wife and children to the Buccaneers nation that adored him. Mr. Jackson was a devoted man who put his family and community above everything else, said Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister, whose department had made Mr. Jackson an honorary deputy for his work with the office.
Mr. Jackson was a second-round pick of the Chargers in 2005 and played seven seasons with them, making two Pro Bowls and having three 1,000-yard seasons.
He played five more seasons with the Buccaneers and had three more 1,000-yard seasons and one more Pro Bowl invitation.
• Victor Morton can be reached at vmorton@washingtontimes.com.
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