Former Minnesota linebacker Gary Tinsley dies at 22

Gary Tinsley, a University of Minnesota linebacker who was hoping to be selected in this year’s NFL draft, was found dead in his dorm room this morning. He was 22.
The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that police are treating this as a suspicious death, although the school does not have any indication of a crime taking place or anyone else being in danger. Tinsley’s roommate found him unresponsive in his bed at 7:40 a.m. and emergency medical personnel could not resuscitate him.
A starting linebacker who was second on the team in tackles last season, Tinsley finished his athletic eligibility but remained enrolled in school at Minnesota this semester. Last month he participated in Minnesota’s Pro Day and told the Pioneer Press afterward that making it in the NFL was “something I always wanted to do.”
“It’s like I’m living out a dream,” Tinsley said. “This is part of the dream. There’s a lot more to come.”