This week, the focus of Miami Dolphins fans has been squarely on the every movement of Peyton Manning. However, that has caused this news story to slide through the cracks for a couple of days. On Wednesday, Oshkosh (Wisconsin) police officially ruled the death of former Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator and current Miami Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin's son an accident.
Philbin's son, Michael, 21, fell through the ice on the Fox River in Wisconsin back in January, where he drowned, on January 8. Philbin had been in Miami on January 7 to interview for the Dolphins' then-vacant head coach position. Michael's body was recovered from the river on January 9.
In their ruling, the police stated they found no evidence of foul play, and that Michael had been alone where he fell into the river. They did state that Michael, who had been out with friends at a University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh party before the accident, was found to have alcohol and marijuana in his system.
His blood alcohol level was reported to be .176, more than twice the legal limit to drive in Wisconsin.
Maybe, the most important part of the story is the statement Philbin released about his son's death.
"The loss of a child and sibling is absolutely heartbreaking to a family. Ours is no different. We hope that the results of the recent toxicology report serve as a reminder to us all that the mixture of alcohol and marijuana can be extremely dangerous, potentially even fatal."
Philbin added that he hopes the story of Michael's death will help remind people to be responsible when they drink alcohol, and to avoid illegal drugs.