A Tennessee Titans football player and former University of South Carolina Gamecock killed himself Monday morning outside the high school where he graduated from in Tampa, FL, according to local police.
Tennessee Titans wide receiver O.J. Murdock died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound this morning in Tampa
Murdock, 25, was found alone in his car in front of Middleton High School, where he had been a football and track standout, at 8:30 a.m. ET. He was transported to Tampa General Hospital in critical condition and pronounced dead at 10:43 a.m.
Police received a 911 call from an individual who reported hearing a gunshot from inside a vehicle parked in front of the school, according to Tampa police spokeswoman Laura McElroy. She said Murdock had a gunshot wound to the head.
"I don't know if he was alert, I just know he was still alive and he was severely wounded from the gunshot," McElroy said.
The Titans signed Murdock as an undrafted free agent on July 28, 2011. He suffered a right Achilles' injury on the first day of training camp, however, and spent the entire season on injured reserve.
He did not report to training camp last Friday with the rest of the team, and the Titans placed him on their Reserve/Did Not Report list over the weekend. When asked about Murdock's absence on Saturday and Sunday, coach Mike Munchak said it was for personal reasons.
The NFL informed the Titans of Murdock's death and Munchak informed the team.
"We thought he was handling it well. He was rehabbing and doing what he was told to do. We never had any problem with him at all," Munchak said. "That's why I think it was such a shock when he wasn't here on Friday. That kind of took us aback because that wasn't something we expected. That's what made us nervous from the beginning.
"And then obviously we were anxious to find out what was going on and we assumed everything was OK and we were going to sit back and wait until he got here to see what was going on."
Murdock probably wouldn't have been able to practice right away had he reported on time because he was still recovering from the injury, Munchak said. Murdock did most of his rehab work last year away from Baptist Sports Park, according to the coach.
"It is obviously a very sad day here with the passing of O.J. Murdock," Titans general manager Ruston Webster said. "It is very tough for us as a team. Whenever you lose somebody at the age of 25 with a life in front of them as O.J.'s was …
"We were concerned initially when O.J. didn't report, and were able to make contact with him. He assured us everything would be OK and he would be here on Sunday, and he didn't make it in on Sunday. … Our hearts go out to his family and mother and father. It is tough whenever you lose someone that young."
Murdock's agent, Hadley Engelhard, described the receiver as a "hard worker, a great kid."
"When I spoke to him a week-and-a-half ago he was training his tail off and excited about his opportunities this year. This is obviously sad and right now our thoughts and prayers are with his family," Engelhard said. "It was tough on him last year, just like anyone on IR. But he had been working hard and was excited and eager about a new opportunity and being a part of the Titans."
Although Murdock's time with the Titans last season was limited, Munchak said he was close to some of the other receivers.
"It is hard to handle for some of these guys, how something like this can happen," Munchak said. "He had his whole life ahead of him and he's someone (players) just saw a month ago and were assuming to see this weekend. It will take a while for guys to understand, although I don't think you ever understand why something like this happens."
Tight end Jared Cook, who was also Murdock's teammate at South Carolina, posted on Twitter: "Please pray for OJ's mom. May God put peace in her heart. Always a Gamecock! Always a Titan! R.I.P. Orenthal!"
Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck tweeted a picture of Murdock's empty locker stall with his No. 15 practice jersey.
"RIP to a great guy OJ Murdock. Prayers go out to his family," tweeted safety Michael Griffin.
Murdock was a national champion sprinter when he was 14 years old.
He was The Tampa Tribune's Male Athlete of the Year in 2005 after winning two state track championships and catching 57 passes for 927 yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior at Middleton. He was rated the 10th best receiver in the country.
His college football career took several twists and turns, from South Carolina to Pearl River Community College in Mississippi to Fort Hays State in Kansas.
Murdock played in only four games for South Carolina and was suspended from the team indefinitely in October 2006 after being charged with shoplifting $424.50 worth of clothing from a Tampa department store. He served a year of probation and the incident was expunged from his record.
At Pearl River, Murdock suffered a broken collarbone. Marshall University offered him a scholarship, but he had failed to earn his two-year degree and was therefore ineligible.
"I almost didn't want to show my face around town," Murdock told The Tampa Tribune last year. "I easily could've given up right there, just thrown it all in the trash, gotten some job, given up for good. I finally focused on what I wanted to do not only in football, but in life."
Murdock regained his form at Fort Hays, posting 1,987 yards and 20 touchdowns in 21 games for the Division-II school. As a senior he had 60 catches for 1,290 yards and 12 touchdowns, prompting invitations to the East-West Shrine game as well as the NFL scouting combine.
Harry Hubbard, Murdock's football coach for three seasons at Middleton, said a prayer vigil was scheduled for tonight at the school's football stadium.
Hubbard said he last spoke with Murdock in November.
"He was very upbeat and he told me once he got his injury healed he was going to come back and try out again. He sounded very positive about it," said Hubbard, whose daughter was a Titans cheerleader in 2004.
"Today was a shocker to everybody. I think it shocked the whole community. I know for a fact if you would have called me three hours earlier I wouldn't have been able to talk because of the impact it's had on so many lives, including myself. … When I talked to him and I figured everything was going right. It was quite a surprise, quite a surprise."
The 61-year-old coach said Murdock was "one of my elite players."
"He had God-given speed. And he was a great kid. Always greeted me with that smile, no matter what," Hubbard said. "It is very hard. He was just one of those great kids where you just can't figure out why this happened."
He was born Orenthal James Murdock on Feb. 15, 1987.
link: http://bleacherrepor...gn=sec-football
Tennessee Titans wide receiver O.J. Murdock died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound this morning in Tampa
Murdock, 25, was found alone in his car in front of Middleton High School, where he had been a football and track standout, at 8:30 a.m. ET. He was transported to Tampa General Hospital in critical condition and pronounced dead at 10:43 a.m.
Police received a 911 call from an individual who reported hearing a gunshot from inside a vehicle parked in front of the school, according to Tampa police spokeswoman Laura McElroy. She said Murdock had a gunshot wound to the head.
"I don't know if he was alert, I just know he was still alive and he was severely wounded from the gunshot," McElroy said.
The Titans signed Murdock as an undrafted free agent on July 28, 2011. He suffered a right Achilles' injury on the first day of training camp, however, and spent the entire season on injured reserve.
He did not report to training camp last Friday with the rest of the team, and the Titans placed him on their Reserve/Did Not Report list over the weekend. When asked about Murdock's absence on Saturday and Sunday, coach Mike Munchak said it was for personal reasons.
The NFL informed the Titans of Murdock's death and Munchak informed the team.
"We thought he was handling it well. He was rehabbing and doing what he was told to do. We never had any problem with him at all," Munchak said. "That's why I think it was such a shock when he wasn't here on Friday. That kind of took us aback because that wasn't something we expected. That's what made us nervous from the beginning.
"And then obviously we were anxious to find out what was going on and we assumed everything was OK and we were going to sit back and wait until he got here to see what was going on."
Murdock probably wouldn't have been able to practice right away had he reported on time because he was still recovering from the injury, Munchak said. Murdock did most of his rehab work last year away from Baptist Sports Park, according to the coach.
"It is obviously a very sad day here with the passing of O.J. Murdock," Titans general manager Ruston Webster said. "It is very tough for us as a team. Whenever you lose somebody at the age of 25 with a life in front of them as O.J.'s was …
"We were concerned initially when O.J. didn't report, and were able to make contact with him. He assured us everything would be OK and he would be here on Sunday, and he didn't make it in on Sunday. … Our hearts go out to his family and mother and father. It is tough whenever you lose someone that young."
Murdock's agent, Hadley Engelhard, described the receiver as a "hard worker, a great kid."
"When I spoke to him a week-and-a-half ago he was training his tail off and excited about his opportunities this year. This is obviously sad and right now our thoughts and prayers are with his family," Engelhard said. "It was tough on him last year, just like anyone on IR. But he had been working hard and was excited and eager about a new opportunity and being a part of the Titans."
Although Murdock's time with the Titans last season was limited, Munchak said he was close to some of the other receivers.
"It is hard to handle for some of these guys, how something like this can happen," Munchak said. "He had his whole life ahead of him and he's someone (players) just saw a month ago and were assuming to see this weekend. It will take a while for guys to understand, although I don't think you ever understand why something like this happens."
Tight end Jared Cook, who was also Murdock's teammate at South Carolina, posted on Twitter: "Please pray for OJ's mom. May God put peace in her heart. Always a Gamecock! Always a Titan! R.I.P. Orenthal!"
Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck tweeted a picture of Murdock's empty locker stall with his No. 15 practice jersey.
"RIP to a great guy OJ Murdock. Prayers go out to his family," tweeted safety Michael Griffin.
Murdock was a national champion sprinter when he was 14 years old.
He was The Tampa Tribune's Male Athlete of the Year in 2005 after winning two state track championships and catching 57 passes for 927 yards and 11 touchdowns as a senior at Middleton. He was rated the 10th best receiver in the country.
His college football career took several twists and turns, from South Carolina to Pearl River Community College in Mississippi to Fort Hays State in Kansas.
Murdock played in only four games for South Carolina and was suspended from the team indefinitely in October 2006 after being charged with shoplifting $424.50 worth of clothing from a Tampa department store. He served a year of probation and the incident was expunged from his record.
At Pearl River, Murdock suffered a broken collarbone. Marshall University offered him a scholarship, but he had failed to earn his two-year degree and was therefore ineligible.
"I almost didn't want to show my face around town," Murdock told The Tampa Tribune last year. "I easily could've given up right there, just thrown it all in the trash, gotten some job, given up for good. I finally focused on what I wanted to do not only in football, but in life."
Murdock regained his form at Fort Hays, posting 1,987 yards and 20 touchdowns in 21 games for the Division-II school. As a senior he had 60 catches for 1,290 yards and 12 touchdowns, prompting invitations to the East-West Shrine game as well as the NFL scouting combine.
Harry Hubbard, Murdock's football coach for three seasons at Middleton, said a prayer vigil was scheduled for tonight at the school's football stadium.
Hubbard said he last spoke with Murdock in November.
"He was very upbeat and he told me once he got his injury healed he was going to come back and try out again. He sounded very positive about it," said Hubbard, whose daughter was a Titans cheerleader in 2004.
"Today was a shocker to everybody. I think it shocked the whole community. I know for a fact if you would have called me three hours earlier I wouldn't have been able to talk because of the impact it's had on so many lives, including myself. … When I talked to him and I figured everything was going right. It was quite a surprise, quite a surprise."
The 61-year-old coach said Murdock was "one of my elite players."
"He had God-given speed. And he was a great kid. Always greeted me with that smile, no matter what," Hubbard said. "It is very hard. He was just one of those great kids where you just can't figure out why this happened."
He was born Orenthal James Murdock on Feb. 15, 1987.
link: http://bleacherrepor...gn=sec-football
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