The grieving family of a minor league pitcher who died six months after being traded for 10 baseball bats said John Odom’s overdose came after a night of partying gone wrong.
The medical examiner’s office in Atlanta ruled that the player’s Nov. 5 death at age 26 was an accident caused by drugs and alcohol.
“John Odom did not commit suicide,” a family representative wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press on Wednesday. The person asked not to be identified at the family’s request, and said Odom’s relatives do not want to give interviews.
“His death is a result of an election night out partying with his ignorant friends that turned tragically wrong. While he made some very poor decisions that night, John loved life more than anyone we’ve ever known, and he absolutely did not intend to kill himself,” the statement said.
The representative said that while Odom “wished the bat trade had never happened, he was making a new life for himself.”
en Baseball League to the Laredo Broncos of the United League. He made three starts for Laredo and abruptly left the team citing personal reasons June 11.
Many teammates and coaches only recently learned of Odom’s death. Several told the AP in interviews for a story published Tuesday that the trade, which had gained widespread notoriety, weighed heavily on the pitcher. Calls to phone numbers for Odom’s family were not returned as the story was reported.
Nathan Crawford, who had pitched in the Minnesota Twins’ organization, was Odom’s roommate. Crawford, now living in Australia, recalled their first introduction.
“John and I met when I got home to Laredo one night. I was returning from a road trip,” Crawford wrote in an e-mail to the AP on Wednesday. “I opened the door and John was sitting on the other bed in my room. He was playing the guitar. He could really play!
“I introduced myself, still not knowing who he was, although hearing something about his story. He was like, ‘Hey, I’m John!’ I said, ‘Hey mate, I’m Nathan.’ Then he said, ‘You haven’t heard about me yet?’ and I was like, ‘Ahh, nah, what’s up?’ He then told me the whole trade story.”
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