Former Dallas Cowboys running back Marion Barber III died of heatstroke at his Frisco, Texas, apartment last month, a medical examiner ruled.
The Collin County Medical Examiner’s Office listed the 38-year-old's cause of death as heatstroke and the manner as accidental, Frisco police said Monday.
Barber was found dead June 1 in his apartment in the Dallas suburb when officers conducted a welfare check, according to a police report.
The heat was on with the thermostat set to 91 degrees, there was exercise equipment, and “Mr. Barber was known to exercise in sauna-like conditions,” Medical Examiner Dr. William B. Rohr wrote in an autopsy report.
Barber’s friend and attorney Billy Clark previously told NBC Dallas-Fort Worth that Barber had been training to be a boxer and was in excellent shape.
Police were called after a neighbor complained of a water leak and no one was able to contact him — which was unusual, as an employee at the apartment company said they saw Barber frequently, according to the police report.
Barber played for the Cowboys for six seasons, from 2005 through 2010. He retired in 2012 after he played one season with the Chicago Bears.
Barber, nicknamed “Marion the Barbarian,” rushed for 4,780 yards and 53 touchdowns in his NFL career. He had six more touchdowns receiving.
