AUSTIN, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – The family of University of Texas student and Texas Longhorns linebacker Jake Ehlinger say the 20-year-old’s death on May 6 was due to an accidental drug overdose, multiple Austin media outlets reported Thursday, Oct. 21.
The Ehlinger family said in a statement they learned Jake accidentally overdosed from what’s believed to be the prescription anti-anxiety medication Xanax laced with fentanyl.
These kinds of counterfeit pills have been seen increasingly in Texas and nationwide.
The Ehlinger family statement said, “As our family continues to process Jake’s death, we felt it was important to share these details with the hope that Jake will not have died in vain. We pray that sharing Jake’s story will help shed light on this problem and prevent other families from also tragically losing a loved one.”
Texas Longhorns linebacker Jake Ehlinger (48) warms up before the Alamo Bowl football game between the Utah Utes and Texas Longhorns at the Alamodome on December 31, 2019 in San Antonio, TX. (Photo by Ken Murray/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Ehlinger was 20 when he died.
He joined the Longhorns in 2019 after playing high school football at Austin Westlake.
His brother Sam Ehlinger, former star UT quarterback, was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the sixth round of the NFL draft days before Jake died.
Jake was in attendance.
