OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – The state Medical Examiner’s office says Oklahoma linebacker Austin Box had five prescription painkillers and an anti-anxiety drug in his system when he died.
The death of the 22-year-old Box on May 19 was ruled accidental in the report released Tuesday.
The agency says the combination of drugs likely caused pulmonary edema – or fluid in the lungs – and aspiration pneumonia – inflammation of the lungs caused by inhaling foreign substances.
Box’s family says in a statement that if others are using such a combination of painkillers, they’re hopeful such people “will see this tragic accident as a message and think about the consequences.”
Box was expected to start at middle linebacker for the Sooners this season. He had a history of injuries.
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