The cause of death of a Baltimore Ravens linebacker has been determined.
Jaylon Ferguson died of a combination of Fentanyl and cocaine in his system, according to an autopsy performed by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore. Ferguson, 26, was found in an apartment in Baltimore on June 21.
The Baltimore Sun reported that his funeral is planned for tomorrow in St. Francisville, La.
Ferguson was drafted in 2019 by the Ravens and played three seasons for the team at the left outside linebacker position. He amassed 4.5 sacks, 13 tackles-for-loss and 17 quarterback hits over his 38 games played, 10 of which he started, according to Pro Football Reference.
In college, he played four years at Louisiana Tech, setting an FBS record of 45 sacks to go with 67.5 tackles for loss and a Conference-USA Defensive Player of the Year award in 2018.
He leaves behind a fiancée, Doni Smith, with whom he shared three children. Smith posted a message about his funeral to her Instagram earlier this week.
Ferguson is the latest in a string of current and former NFL players to perish relatively young. Last week, former Ravens offensive lineman and national NFL broadcaster Tony Siragusa died at age 55. Former Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals defensive back Jeff Gladney died in a car wreck in Dallas along with his girlfriend, Mercedes Palacios, on June 15. Gladney was 25; Palacios was 26.
On June 1, former Dallas Cowboys running back Marion Barber was found dead in his Texas home. He was 38.
On April 9, former Washington Commanders and Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Duane Haskins died after being hit by a dump truck and another vehicle as he walked along a highway near Miami. Haskins, 24, had reportedly told his wife in a phone call minutes before the accident that the car he was driving had run out of gas. He was in South Florida training for the upcoming season with Steelers teammates.
The day after Haskins’ death, former Cowboys running backs coach Gary Brown, who played for the New York Giants and Houston Oilers in his career, died of cancer at age 52.