NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The toxicology report shows former Titans kicker Rob Bironas had a blood alcohol content more than twice the legal limit for driving in Tennessee when he died in a one-vehicle crash.
Testing released Friday by the Davidson County Medical Examiner’s Office shows Bironas had a blood alcohol level of 0.218 percent. Tennessee’s limit for driving under the influence is 0.08 percent. The toxicology report also says a low level of Diazepam or Valium also was detected, but at a level so low to have a “negligible effect” according to a release.
The autopsy report finalized Friday shows the 36-year-old Bironas died of blunt force trauma after his SUV went off the road and crashed into a line of trees Sept. 20, and 911 calls described Bironas as chasing people and trying to run them off the road before losing control of his 2009 Yukon Denali near his home.
Staff from the medical examiner’s office and Nashville police’s traffic unit supervisor briefed Bironas’ family on the results late Friday afternoon. Police said in a statement after the crash that there was no evidence of alcohol or drugs at the scene, and the investigation is continuing.
Family and friends said at his funeral Sept. 25 that they would remember Bironas for how he lived and not the final 30 minutes of his life. Bironas married Rachel Bradshaw in June. She’s the daughter of Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw.
His wife called 911 before learning he had crashed because she thought he had gone to bed for the night and then couldn’t find him in their home.
From Louisville, Kentucky, Bironas played nine seasons with the Tennessee Titans, and he was the fourth most-accurate kicker in NFL history, connecting on 85.7 percent of his kicks (239 of 279). He made a franchise-record 11 winning field goals during his career before being released in March.
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