Josh Mauro Died From Fentanyl, Cocaine and Ethanol Overdose
Josh Mauro died from acute combined fentanyl, cocaine, and ethanol intoxication, and his death was ruled accidental. The former NFL defensive end passed on April 23, a finding that now puts a specific medical cause on a loss his family had already shared publicly.
Greg Mauro’s April 23 statement
Greg Mauro announced his son’s death in a Facebook post last month and said Josh had passed on April 23. He wrote that his son was healed and made new in the presence of the Lord, then added, “On Thursday, April 23rd, Josh breathed his last breath on this Earth and his first breath in heaven.”
He also wrote, “With many tears and broken hearts, yet anchored in the unshakable certainty that our precious Josh Mauro is now healed and made new – live in the presence of the Lord – we humbly covet your prayers as our family walks through the devastating loss of our amazing son, brother, uncle, grandson and friend,” giving the public the family’s own account before the medical finding was reported.
Josh Mauro’s NFL path
Mauro entered the NFL in 2014 as an undrafted free agent out of Stanford and signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh cut him during final roster moves before the start of that season, and he moved on to the Arizona Cardinals for the next stretch of his career.
He spent over six seasons with Arizona, collecting 83 combined tackles and four sacks across 55 games. In 2016, he worked himself into a starting role and posted seven tackles for loss across 15 games.
Cardinals, Giants and Raiders
His career also included time with the New York Giants and then-Oakland Raiders before he returned to the Cardinals for the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Born in England and later raised in Texas, he played Division I football at Stanford before reaching the league.
The medical finding closes the gap between the family’s announcement and the circumstances of his death. It also leaves a final record of a player whose path ran from England to Stanford and through four NFL stops, ending with an accidental overdose at age not given in the available facts.
