Former NFL lineman Josh Mauro died from an accidental drug overdose, according to a medical examiner’s ruling cited by the California Post. The report said Mauro died from acute combined fentanyl, cocaine and ethanol intoxication.
Greg Mauro announced his son’s death in a Facebook post last month and said Josh died on April 23. In his post, Greg Mauro wrote that his son had died and asked for prayers as the family dealt with the loss.
Mauro entered the NFL in 2014 as an undrafted free agent out of Stanford, signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers before being cut in final roster moves before the season. He then landed with the Arizona Cardinals, where he spent four seasons and became a starter in 2016.
Over six seasons with Arizona, Mauro recorded 83 combined tackles and four sacks in 55 games and 29 starts. That 2016 season was his most productive, as he had seven tackles for loss across 15 games. He also spent time with the New York Giants and the then-Oakland Raiders before returning to the Cardinals for the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
Mauro’s death closes the story of a player whose path to the league was unconventional and often uncertain. Born in England, he later moved to Texas and played Division I football at Stanford before carving out a career that lasted years longer than his first NFL cut suggested.
The medical examiner’s finding answers the central question left open after his family’s announcement: Mauro did not die of natural causes, but from an accidental overdose tied to multiple substances. For his family, the public record now matches the private loss they first described in April.
