The body of former Buffalo Bills wide receiver James Hardy was found in the Maumee River on Wednesday. Hardy was identified by the Allen County Coroner's Office in Indiana after he was found lodged in the Hosey Dam on the river. His body was discovered by an employee of the City's water Filtration Plant, as he was making his normal rounds. According to reports, Hardy's mother had reported him missing since May 30.
James Hardy
James Hardy played college football and basketball for the Indiana Hoosiers. In football, he was an All-American selection as a freshman when he caught 51 passes for 893 yards and ten touchdowns and was an All-Big 10 selection as well.
By the time he left Indiana after three seasons, Hardy had set the Hoosiers records for receptions (186), receiving yards (2,690), and touchdown receptions (36). He also played in a total of 23 basketball games for the Indiana Hoosiers.
After being a Biletnikoff finalist in his junior season as one of the best wide receivers in college football, Hardy declared for the NFL Draft and the Buffalo Bills selected him in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Hardy never fulfilled his promise in the NFL. In his rookie season, Hardy caught nine passes for 87 yards and two touchdowns and only played in two games in 2009 before Buffalo released him.
The Baltimore Ravens gave James Hardy a chance, but hamstring problems ended his NFL career when they released him as well.
After his NFL career, Hardy moved to California and tried to pursue a modeling and acting career.
James Hardy's post-NFL life
Things seemed to go south for James Hardy after he moved to California. In 2014, police arrested Hardy when they responded to a disturbing the peace call, and James allegedly attacked the officers. Police reports indicate that drugs were to blame, but when Hardy went to court, he was deemed unfit to stand trial and remanded to a mental facility.
Both the Buffalo Bills and Indiana Hoosiers sent out their condolences through Twitter. A former teammate from Indiana, Bryan Payton, also posted his thoughts about James Hardy on his Instagram account with a photo of the two as rivals in high school. Payton called Hardy an inspiration to both himself and many others around him, calling him a great competitor and always "the man."
James Hardy was 31-years-old at the time of his passing. The actual cause of death has yet to be confirmed or announced by the authorities.
