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Former Indiana Wide Receiver and NFL player James Hardy III found dead at 31

By Jordan Maly

Nov 14, 2015; Bloomington, IN, USA; Some of the Indiana Hoosiers kneel in the end zone before the start of the game against the Michigan Wolverines at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 14, 2015; Bloomington, IN, USA; Some of the Indiana Hoosiers kneel in the end zone before the start of the game against the Michigan Wolverines at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports /
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Former Indiana Hoosiers football and ex-NFL player James Hardy III was identified after a body was pulled from a river in Fort Wayne, Indiana on Wednesday.

James Hardy III was identified on Thursday morning after a body was pulled from the Maumee River in Fort Wayne, Indiana on Wednesday according to Fort Wayne’s NBC.

According to the report, a plant worker nearby smelled an awful odor coming from the dam nearby and it was later discovered that a body was trapped in the log jam. There is no preliminary reason for the cause of death to James Hardy III.

Fort Wayne NBC reports that Hardy III is the third body recovered in Fort Wayne in the past few weeks. James Hardy III died at the age of 31.

James Hardy III played three seasons with the Indiana Hoosier football team (2005-07) before being drafted in the NFL in 2008. In Hardy’s three seasons with the Hoosiers, he racked up 191 catches, 2,740 yards, and 36 touchdowns. In Hardy’s freshman year, he also played for the Hoosiers Men’s basketball team. He appeared in only 23 games and averaged 1.7 points per game.

Hardy was drafted in the second round of the 2008 NFL draft and spent four seasons with two different teams. He played for the Buffalo Bills from 2008-10 and with Baltimore Ravens in 2011. He bounced around between 2012-2014 in the Arena Football League.

James Hardy III was booked in May 2014 after a confrontation with Los Angeles Police Officers ended up with his arrest. In the reports, Hardy was restrained by three officers and would not cooperate leading to his arrest. Hardy later in 2014 was admitted to a mental facility to undergo treatment after a judge determined he was not fit to stand trial for his arrest. Reports indicate that Hardy was administered “involuntary antipsychotic medication”.

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Hardy was an Indiana native, attending local schools in Fort Wayne before heading to Indiana University. It’s a sad and troubling day for Hardy’s family and Indiana fans with no initial leads on a possible cause of death.

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