TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A new report from the Hillsborough County Medical examiner shows a surprising and rare factor that contributed to the death of former Tampa Bay Buccaneers player Mike Williams.
Williams spent four years in the NFL from 2010 to 2014.
In August, he was working on a construction job in Tampa when he suffered a serious head injury.
The medical examiner’s report said Williams was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital and then transferred to the Suncoast Hospice, where he later died.
According to the report, his cause of death was “Bacterial Sepsis with Cerebral Abscesses and Necrotizing Lobar Pneumonia Due to Multiple Dental Caries and Retained Tooth Roots Contributory Cause Arteriosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease.”
Dr. Walter Howard, a clinical professor at University of Florida School of Dentistry is not involved in the case, but said the report shows that severe tooth decay contributed to Williams death.
“The source of that infection, according to that statement, would be from the oral environment, where you’ve got bacteria that has been uncontrolled and caused tooth decay and also abscesses on the roots,” said Howard.
He said cases like this are rare, but entirely preventable with regular dental care.
“When they become more and more compromised, then bacterial infections can become sepsis and really cause problems,” said Howard.
Dr. Howard did not review Williams’ entire case history but says it appears there were a number of factors that led to his death.
“This is a multi-faceted case obviously, you’ve got pulmonary issues, you’ve got cranial trauma, it sounds like they had some type of spinal surgery as well. So, there are so Florida many things going on, it’s like trying to unscramble an omelet,” said Howard.
