PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A new report has revealed the cause of death for a former Arizona Cardinals defensive end.
According to the Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner, Josh Mauro died of an accidental overdose. Officials said he had a combination of fentanyl, alcohol and cocaine in his system.
Mauro was found dead April 23 at his home in the area of 32nd Street and Chandler Boulevard. He was 35.
His family made the announcement days later in a Facebook post.
Josh’s father, Greg Mauro, posted Thursday that Cardinals legend Larry Fitzgerald had sent him a letter about his time with Josh on the team.
“Josh was someone you could always count on for more than just the game. He had depth to him; he was genuinely curious about people, thoughtful in the way he listened, and generous in the way he engaged. Our conversations are something I’ll carry with me always,” Fitzgerald said in the letter.
The former defensive end was born in England and went to Stanford before playing eight seasons in the NFL.
He played for the Cardinals from 2014 to 2017, where he had 75 tackles, four passes defended and two sacks.
Mauro was released by the Cardinals in 2018 and played for the New York Giants, where he was suspended for the first four games for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs.
He played for the then-Oakland Raiders in 2019 and re-signed with the Cardinals in 2020 for two more seasons.
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