Werbung

Autopsy report determines Arizona OL Zach Hemmila died due to mix of medications

Arizona's helmets with decals for Hemmila (Getty).
Arizona’s helmets with decals for Hemmila (Getty).

An autopsy report on Arizona offensive lineman Zach Hemmila’s body determined the player died because of a toxic mixture of medications.

Hemmila died on Aug. 7. He was 22. According to AZCentral.com “the drugs found in his system were oxymorphone, an opiate painkiller, and alprazolam, an anxiety medication.” Officials also said his lungs were congested and that he was also chewing tobacco at the time of his death.

Hemmila’s death was ruled accidental and he was set to be a fifth-year senior on the team. He appeared in 13 games in 2015 with six starts. Coach Rich Rodriguez said that he had spent 45 minutes talking to Hemmila about almost “everything” just two days before the offensive lineman’s death.

The University of Texas sent a note signed by the team in the weeks after Hemmila’s death. Arizona athletic director Greg Byrne said at the time that approximately 50 teams had sent their condolences to Arizona.

[Visit Dr. Saturday on Facebook for stories you might have missed and chat with the writers]

– – – – – – –

Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!