Ex-San Diego Charger Shawne Merriman overdosed, sources say
Retired San Diego Charger and NFL Pro Bowl linebacker Shawne Merriman overdosed Sunday night after ingesting an unspecified combination of alcohol and a drug, sources with knowledge of the case told The Times.
The sources would not specify his condition but said Merriman, 29, would survive.
Merriman was transported from The Colony in the 1700 block of N. Cahuenga Boulevard to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center around 9:30 p.m., according to law enforcement sources familiar with the incident.
Merriman’s Twitter account was active early Monday morning. “Damn I lost shades lol,” a tweet read at 1:19 a.m., nearly four hours after being transported to the hospital. About an hour and a half later, a tweet said, “Had a fly ass @LightsOutBrand shirt on tonight #Ruined”
Merriman, who played college football at the University of Maryland, was a first-round National Football League draft pick in 2005. He announced his retirement from the NFL in March.
“My retirement from the game I love so much and from the game that has brought me so many opportunities on and off the field has been decided with great thought for my future on and off of the field,” Merriman wrote on his website at the time.”
“I retire today not because I don’t feel I can go out there and still play the game at a very high level. I am retiring because I want to retire on my own terms and leave while I know I can still physically play the game. I am stepping back to pursue other great opportunities that have been afforded me,” he wrote.
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