By Vaughn McClure and Brad Biggs
Bears defensive end Gaines Adams died Sunday morning of cardiac arrest resulting from an enlarged heart, according to Greenwood County, S.C., chief deputy coroner Marcia Kelley-Clark.
The 26-year-old Adams was taken to the emergency room at at Self Regional Healthcare at 7:14 a.m. Eastern time and pronounced dead at 8:21 a.m., Kelley-Clark said. Adams, who is from Greenwood, was visiting his girlfriend.
A Greenwood County Sheriff's investigator said the house was owned by Adams and the player and his girlfriend were at the residence at the time, and she reportedly made the call to 911 at around 7 a.m.
The Associated Press reported that toxicology tests are being run by the State Law Enforcement Division, though drug use was not suspected as a factor in Adams' death. Those results probably will not be available for at least two months, Kelley-Clark said.
"Nobody was aware of any kind of medical condition," Kelley-Clark told the AP.
The Bears issued a statement Sunday afternoon, saying, "We are stunned and saddened by the news of Gaines' passing. Our prayers are with his family during this difficult time."
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell told the Los Angeles Times' Sam Farmer: "It's a sad outcome. He was a terrific young man. I met him at the draft when he came in, and he stood out. He was a very caring individual. I'd seen him a couple of times, most recently in Chicago (when Goodell spoke to the Bears in November.)
"He seemed like a very genuine, nice man," Goodell continued. "He seemed focused on being a good person, not just an NFL player. I was always taken with him."
Adams' unexpected death shocked teammates. He was traded to Chicago from Tampa Bay in exchange for a 2010 second-round draft pick.
"It's crazy," Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher said. "I didn't know him that well because he came in during the middle of the season. But I did know him. I still saw him every day when I went into work. It's just weird.
"I had a teammate die when I was in college. You just don't know how to handle it. It's just sad, man. It's a bad deal."
Adams, a star at Clemson, was the fourth pick in the 2007 draft by the Buccaneers. The Bears traded for him in October, intent on rebuilding their pass rush around him.
Tommy Bowden, who was Adams' head coach at Clemson, said he couldn't believe the young player was gone.
"I just couldn't believe it was Gaines," Bowden said. "I will always remember the smile he had on his face and I will always remember his patience."
Adams did not have any reported prior medical issues that would have revealed heart issues.
"I remember him at the 2007 Draft as a fine young man," NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement to ESPN. "Our condolences to Gaines' family, his teammates on the Bears and Buccaneers, and their organizations on their loss."
Tribune News Services contributed to this report.
Photo: Gaines Adams in 2009. (Photo by NFL Photos)
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