Former New York Giants football player Tyler Sash was found dead in an Iowa home Tuesday, authorities said. He was 27.
A cause of death has not been determined, and an autopsy will be conducted Wednesday, an official at the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner said.
Oskaloosa police said emergency responders were dispatched to a home on Fox Run Drive at 10 a.m. Tuesday on a report of an unresponsive man and found Sash deceased upon arrival. No foul play is suspected, police said in a statement.
Sash was a star defensive back with the University of Iowa Hawkeyes and was drafted by the Giants in the sixth round in 2011. He recorded 25 tackles in his three-year career, and won a Super Bowl ring in the Giants' win over the Patriots after the 2011 season.
Sash was cut after training camp in 2013. In 2012 he was suspended four games for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drugs policy. Sash blamed the test on taking Adderall, NBC Sports reported.
Former Giant Osi Umenyiora, who played with Sash, tweeted his disbelief about the news, calling his former teammate a “great guy.”
Chicago Bears safety Antrel Rolle, who also played with Sash on the Giants, offered his condolences to Sash’s family.
Sash started in 37 games as Hawkeye and ranks fourth all-time in the Big Ten Conference with 392 interception return yards, according to the Hawkeyes website. He tied Iowa’s single-game record for the most interceptions with three picks against Iowa State in 2009.
In 2014, Sash was reportedly arrested for public intoxication after leading Oskaloosa police on a four-block chase on a scooter, according to NBC station WHO in Des Moines. He was charged with public intoxication and paid a fine, according to court records.
