(Ruled Suicide) Medical examiner: 4-6 weeks to determine cause of Dungy's death

Associated Press (via Yahoo) ^ | December 23, 2005 | AP

[newzjunkey]

LUTZ, Fla. (AP) -- A medical examiner's preliminary report Friday confirmed that the 18-year-old son of Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy took his own life, although the cause of death will not be determined for four to six weeks.

Dr. Jacqueline Lee released the findings and said there was no evidence of foul play. Lee ordered a toxicology study, and until it is finished the cause and manner of James Dungy's death are listed as pending.

ADVERTISEMENT His girlfriend found him unresponsive early Thursday, Hillsborough County Sheriff's spokeswoman Debbie Carter said. Carter said evidence at the scene indicated he had killed himself.

A sheriff's deputy performed CPR before an ambulance took him to University Community Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Tony Dungy took the team plane from Indianapolis to Tampa, Fla., where he had coached the Buccaneers from 1996-01. He has taken leave from the team, which is 13-1 and will be coached by assistant Jim Caldwell for Saturday's game at Seattle.

[stevecmd]

I wonder if anti-depressants are involved.

[darkangel82]

But I don't see why that information should be withheld from us.

Maybe out of respect for his family and their privacy?

[Dog Gone]

It doesn't work that way. A death is a public event and the cause of death is a matter of public record. For everyone, not just celebrities. It's important for a number of reasons, mostly legal.

We will know eventually how and why this man died, just like you can find out the reason for the death of anyone else in America if you choose to look.

I guess we don't have to know that there was a suicide note, but we can certainly find the cause of death if we wish to pursue it.

[Arizona Carolyn]

If this was a suicide someone like Dungy could do a lot of good if he comes out like Robert Shapiro and talks about this to save someone else from the same thing.

Suicide and depression among young people is too prevalent these days, people are frankly pushing kids too hard at too young an age and they never learn how to be kids anymore -- knowing how to be a kid helps as you age and are faced with pressure.

[Teacher317]

Tony Dungy is known around here (and in Tampa) for scheduling his team's responsibilities so that he is able to take his kids to and from school at least once per week, and so that they have at least one entire afternoon together on a second weekday every week. They are also at most games and practices. He's definitely not an absentee Dad, no matter how successful he is. The scuttlebutt around here is that he'll leave the NFL, no matter his recent long-term lucrative deal, no matter if he wons or loses the Super Bowl. His family and his Faith come first. Football is a distant third to this man.

[Loud Mime]

When a friend of mine committed suicide I realized how selfish of an act it was. I had to sit with his daughters and explain what he had told me, how he had lied to me so he could be alone to commit the act, and was asked by his widow to clean up his personal and business items because she was devastated.

Suicide makes things worse.

May God comfort the Dungy family and their friends.

[cleveland gop]

This is a great person of faith, on and off the football field. This is pure tragedy, when we are all celebrating the CHRISTMAS season.

If coach does decide to leave, it's because he has his priorities in complete order, obviously not because of any selfish means.

BTW, didn't Bill Cosby's son, Ennis, pass away during the holiday season???

God bless the Dungy family.

[TurnerBrown]

Was I the only one who briefly saw the thread yesterday about James Dungy's myspace.com web page and postings? It was a portrait of a dark and disturbed young man. One post even stated, in more or less terms, "I can't talk to anyone anymore." There were lots of references to drugs and the rap culture. It was really sad.

The thread here was pulled, and his myspace.com page disappeared a while later.

[america-rules]

The local Florida news reported he got in a fight with his girlfriend and she left and when she came back he was hanging by his own belt !

[snakedriver]

I may have misunderstood your statement but it sounds preposterous. Talk about your tin-foil hats...

[blondee123]

"No suicide note was found, according to police."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20051223/sp_nm/football_dungy_dc

[freeplancer]

Thanks for the info. Godspeed to him.