Body of Former NFL Wide Receiver Found Dead in Indiana River

The body of former NFL wide receiver James Hardy III was found in the Maumee River in Fort Wayne, Indiana. According to a press release from the Allen County Coroner. Emergency services responded to the area on a reported body in the river called in by a City of Fort Wayne employee and reported to the area and death was pronounced on the scene.

Hardy, 31, an Indiana native who played football for Indiana University, played in the NFL from 2008 through 2013. He was drafted in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills, played with the team for two years, then was signed to a contract by the Baltimore Ravens. Hamstring problems limited his practice time, and he was released that same year. 

According to the coroner’s office, his family had reported him missing weeks ago. 

In 2014, Hardy was arrested by Los Angeles Police officers for resisting arrest after they received a call of “a man causing a disturbance.” It was reported that Hardy was not mentally competent to stand trial and he was taken to state hospital instead.

The Coroner’s Office tells Rolling Stone that the autopsy has been completed and Hardy’s death is currently being investigated by the Fort Wayne Police Department, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources and the Allen County Coroner’s Office. investigating to determine a cause of death.