Via: ESPN.com
Chicago Bears defensive end Gaines Adams died Sunday morning after he was taken to a Greenwood, S.C., emergency room, the county coroner said.
Greenwood County coroner James T. Coursey told ESPN that Adams was taken to the emergency room at Self Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 9 a.m. Coursey said the preliminary autopsy performed Sunday indicated Adams died of cardiac arrest.
Adams went into cardiac arrest at his family’s home early Sunday morning, said Marcia Kelley-Clark, chief deputy coroner for Greenwood County.
The autopsy showed Adams had an enlarged heart, a condition Kelley-Clark said can often lead to a heart attack. But Adams’ relatives didn’t know about it.
“Nobody was aware of any kind of medical condition,” Kelley-Clark said.
Toxicology tests are being run by the State Law Enforcement Division, though drug use was not suspected as a factor in Adams’ death. However, those results probably will not be available for at least two months, Kelley-Clark said.
“We are stunned and saddened by the news of Gaines’ passing,” the Bears said in a statement. “Our prayers are with his family during this difficult time.”
Adams, 26, listed at 6-foot-5 and 256 pounds, played in college at Clemson and was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2007 NFL draft. He was traded to the Bears in October.
“I remember him at the 2007 Draft as a fine young man,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “Our condolences to Gaines’ family, his teammates on the Bears and Buccaneers, and their organizations on their loss.”
In 47 games over three seasons with the Bucs and Bears, Adams had 67 tackles, including 13.5 sacks.
Adams had not been able to live up to expectations that he would revive the Buccaneers’ once-feared pass rush. He fell short of the benchmark set by Buccaneers coach Raheem Morris, who said at the start of training camp that Adams would be considered a “bust” if he didn’t reach double digits in sacks.
Adams said during training camp that he welcomed the challenge posed by Morris, who also called out the third-year pro after Adams began the season with lackluster performances in the first three games.
“In football you need that. Players tend to get in their own element and do things that they want to do. They need to be called out sometimes. He’s the coach. Whatever he says, goes,” Adams said in early August.
“I take it as a challenge. Being drafted fourth overall, that comes with the territory. It’s year three for me. Obviously it’s time for me to step up.”
With the Bears, Adams played brief stints on defense. He made five tackles.
“We thought the player was a quality player, and if we get him in our system with our coaches, we have a lot of confidence we can make it work,” Chicago general manager Jerry Angelo said after the Bears acquired Adams.
Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher told the Chicago Tribune that Adams’ death was “crazy.”
“I didn’t know him that well because he came in during the middle of the season,” Urlacher said. “But I did know him. I still saw him every day when I went into work. It’s just weird.
“I had a teammate die when I was in college. You just don’t know how to handle it. It’s just sad, man. It’s a bad deal.”
He was well-known among Clemson fans for breaking up Wake Forest’s field goal try and returning it for a touchdown in 2006 to defeat the Demon Deacons.
Tommy Bowden, who was Adams’ head coach at Clemson, said he couldn’t believe the young player was gone.
“I just couldn’t believe it was Gaines,” Bowden said. “I will always remember the smile he had on his face and I will always remember his patience.”
