Coroner: Pulmonary embolism from knee surgery led to former Clemson RB C.J. Fuller's death
The Pickens County (South Carolina) Coroner ruled that former Clemson running back C.J. Fuller died because of a pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis related to a recent knee surgery.
The coroner’s report on Fuller’s death was released Tuesday. Fuller died on Oct. 3 after allegedly having chest pains while he was rehabilitating from a knee injury he suffered on Aug. 12 at a sports complex in Easley, South Carolina.
Fuller had surgery for the knee injury — listed as the official cause of death as a “football injury” — on Sept. 19, approximately two weeks before he was pronounced dead at a Greenville-area hospital. He was 22.
Fuller’s aunt said after his death that he had started to feel chest pains while he was rehabbing. A pulmonary embolism is when a blood clot forms to block one or more arteries in the lungs.
“He had been having some chest pains before that day, but they got worse fast,” Zola Fuller Beeks told the Greenville News in October. “He was conscious at one point, but when he got to the hospital, his speech was slurred. Before we knew it, he was gone.”
Fuller was a member of Clemson’s 2016 national title team and a native of Easley. He had 599 rushing yards, 155 receiving yards and six touchdowns in his Clemson career.
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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.
Follow @NickBromberg on Twitter
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