O.J. Murdock found dead in his car

Tennessee Titans wide receiever O.J. Murdock has died of an apparent suicide.

Murdock, 25 years old, was found inside his car Monday morning by Police spokeswoman Andrea Davis with what appeared to be self-inflicted gunshot wounds. O.J. Murdock’s car was parked in front of Middleton High School, where his football career began.

As a senior at Middle High School, Murdock starred on the football field and was rated the 10th best wide receiver in the nation by Rivals.com. He signed with South Carolina but injuries forced him to redshirt his freshmen year. He was arrested for shoplifting at a Florida department store during his sophomore season and was suspended.

Murdock transferred to Pearl River Community College in Mississippi and then to Division II Fort Hays State in Kansas. As a senior in 2010, he had 60 catches for 1,290 yards and 12 touchdowns.

O.J. Murdock went un-drafted but an impressive performance at the NFL scouting combine landed him a deal with the Tennessee Titans. An achilles injury landed him on the injury reserve for the entire 2011 season.

“We are shocked and saddened to hear of O.J. Murdock’s death this morning,” the Titans said in a statement Monday. “In his brief time here, a number of our players, coaches and staff had grown close to O.J., and this is a difficult time for them. He spent the last year battling back from an Achilles injury as he prepared for this year’s training camp. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends as they try to cope with this tragedy.” (Yahoo Sports)