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Report: Death of former IU star James Hardy III ruled a suicide

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

The Allen County Coroner’s Office has ruled that the death of former Indiana wide receiver James Hardy III was a suicide, according to a report released on Wednesday.

On June 7, a body was found in the Maumee River. One day later, the Coroner’s Office had identified the body as Hardy. He was 31 at the time of his death.

Michael Burris, the Chief Investigator from the Allen County Coroner’s Office, released the following statement:

Hardy was one of Indiana’s all-time great receivers, catching 186 passes for 2,690 yards and 36 touchdowns. He was the B1G’s leading receiver in 2006 and 2007.

After three seasons with the Hoosiers, Hardy declared for the NFL Draft after his junior season was selected No. 41 overall by the Buffalo Bills in 2008.

Hardy’s NFL career ended in 2011. He caught 10 passes for 96 yards and two touchdowns.

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB