Vincent Jackson likely died days before he was discovered

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A preliminary medical examiner’s report indicates Vincent Jackson likely died days before he was found in his Tampa hotel room, according to WFLA news.

The death of the former NFL receiver was reported Monday.

The Hillsborough County Medical Examiner Department said staff members at the hotel entered Jackson’s room on Feb. 13 and Feb. 14. But they assumed he was sleeping after finding him sitting slouched over on the couch and left.

Hotel staff members became concerned Feb. 15 “when they found [him] in the same position.”

Jackson’s family reported him missing on Feb. 10, and, according to the new report, deputies confirmed Jackson’s well being Feb. 11. The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said earlier this week deputies canceled the missing persons report after checking on Jackson at the hotel Feb. 12.

So it is unclear whether deputies made contact with Jackson on Feb. 11 or Feb. 12. Either way, it appears Jackson died at least two days — and maybe more — before he was pronounced dead.

The medical examiner’s office has yet to determine Jackson’s exact cause of death.

Jackson’s family donated his brain for a study on CTE, a degenerative brain disease linked to repeated head trauma, The New York Times reports.

“Vincent being who he was would have wanted to help as many people as possible,” Allison Gorrell, a spokeswoman for the Jackson family, told The Times. “It’s something his family wanted to do to get answers to some of their questions.”

Jackson was 38.