Former University of Texas and NFL running back Cedric Benson and his passenger were tragically killed in August after his motorcycle collided with a van attempting to make a left turn at an intersection.
TMZ obtained the autopsy and it was revealed there was THC in Benson’s system at the time of his death, with the Travis Country Medical Examiner determining Benson died from “blunt force injuries combined with severe burn injuries from the ensuing fire.” There was also alcohol in his system, which was 0.02 at the time of the accident in Austin. Texas’ legal limit to drive is 0.08.
The level of THC found in his system was not indicated to have been enough to impair his driving.
Both Benson and his passenger, Aamna Najam, were pronounced dead at the scene, police said at the time. Benson was 36, and Najam was 27.
“Cedric was not just a client, he was my friend,” Benson’s lawyer, Sam Bassett, said in a statement. “He was immensely talented and fierce on the football field yet most have no idea the difficulties he overcame to achieve what he did. Though imperfect in some respects, once Cedric was your friend you understood how kind, sensitive and loyal he was as a man. He was like a younger brother or nephew to me. I will miss him very much.”
Benson was a member of the Texas Longhorns from 2001-2004 and one of the best college football running backs of all-time, finishing his career with 5,540 rushing yards and the NCAA’s sixth-leading rusher at the time.
He would go on to be drafted 4th overall by the Chicago Bears in 2005, recording 1,593 yards and 10 touchdowns in three seasons. He would soon head to Cincinnati in 2008 and posted three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and 21 touchdowns from 2009-2011. Benson would finish his career with the Green Bay Packers and tallied 248 yards and one touchdown in five games.
