Todd Williams, former team member of the Tennessee Titans, was found dead in his hotel room on January 7, 2013.
According to The Brandenton Herald, the 35-year old had recently been complaining to his mother that he could not taste anything and had been having pain for a month. His mother then advised him to see a doctor. After not hearing from him for a couple of days, she decided to take a trip to the hotel where he had been living for six years. When she arrived at the hotel, she met up with deputies who told her the news of her son's death.
Although foul play is not suspected, Dr. Gregory Cooper, director of the gastroenterology program at University Hospitals Case Medical Center, told ABC News that the player's death could possibly due to an ulcer or peritonitis, which is which is the inflammation of the tissues of the inner lining of the stomach and other abdominal organs. Cooper also added that drug abuse could also be attributed to his death.
Williams, after leaving the NFL, returned to his home state of Florida to teach at Manatee Y Technological High, where he worked up until his death.
Jerry Parrish, a good friend of Williams, said this about his friend's life: “It doesn't matter what side of the tracks you were born on; it doesn't matter. It matters what you want to do and what you want to accomplish. And I think that's the legacy that he left. It doesn't matter how you start, it matters how you finish. He was finishing strong and doing great things."