UNLV football player Ryan Keeler ‘had nausea and felt ill for at least a week before his death,’ says police report – after 20-year-old was found unconscious in bed in studio apartment
UNLV football player Ryan Keeler had been ill for “at least seven days” before he was found dead in a Las Vegas apartment building, according to a police report.
Documents from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department obtained by TMZ revealing that Keeler was found dead in a bed in a studio apartment – and that after he was discovered, interviews with a friend of his said Keeler had been suffering from an illness since Feb. 13.
Those documents also detail the friend’s claim that he had seen Keeler at dinner the day before he was found dead and that the footballer was “feeling a little better.”
The report also states that a man identified with the title of “director of sports medicine” told police that Keeler had been given an unidentified prescription drug on February 17 and that he visited him two days later.
Police say UNLV assistant coach Julio Garcia was the first to spot Keeler, after conducting a welfare check earlier in the day.
UNLV football player Ryan Keeler felt ill in the days leading up to his death on Feb. 20, according to reports from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police
According to reports, Garcia knocked on Keeler’s door and then kicked him in when there was no response.
Finding Keeler unconscious, Garcia called 911, describing the defensive end as “feeling cold” when he saw him.
When police arrived, they found Keeler dead and lying face up in bed with an empty prescription medication bottle also at the scene.
The 6-foot, 275-pound defensive lineman moved from Rutgers this season and played in seven games for the Rebels.
Keeler’s two football families – both in New Jersey and Nevada – paid tribute to the late player who recorded a sack and eight tackles.
UNLV athletics director Erick Harper said in a statement in the wake of his death: “The UNLV family mourns the sudden loss of one of us today.
“Our hearts go out to all of Ryan’s family and friends, along with his Rebel teammates.”
Longtime Rutgers coach Greg Schiano also paid tribute, saying there was more to the man behind the helmet.
Defensive lineman Keeler has died aged 20 in Las Vegas, UNLV announced Feb. 20
Keeler died at age 20, prompting tributes from both Rutgers and UNLV football teams
‘From the introduction to him as a recruit to the actual coaching, what stood out most was his passion.
His passion for his teammates and his passion for the game of football. We send our love and prayers to Ryan’s family and friends during this difficult time.”
“Ryan was definitely preparing for a big year this year, but more importantly he was honestly a great person,” Keeler’s former teammate Austin Ajiake told me. Fox5.
‘Never complained, had a great attitude, showed up and worked every day. He was the kind of teammate you wanted around you… I am heartbroken for his family and offer them my condolences and prayers.”