On the evening of June 11, former Chicago Bears defensive lineman Bryant ( Bryan ) Robinson was found dead in a room at the Midpoint Motel in Milwaukee. He was 41.
The Milwaukee County medical examiner's office report said Robinson checked into the motel for a six-hour stay at 9 a.m. that morning with another man, and wasn't seen by motel staff since that time.
Milwaukee Police Officer Angela Lowery told the medical examiner's office that "the manager of the motel reported the deceased was known as a 'regular' there. The other male was a Black male with a thin build and dreadlocks."
The medical examiner's report also said Robinson normally checked out at 6 p.m. when he visited the motel on previous occasions. Motel staff relayed to the medical examiner that they entered Robinson's room a little after 8:30 p.m. when he didn't respond to them knocking on the door. They found him in a tee shirt and no other clothing lying face down on the bed and unresponsive. It was then that motel staff called 911 to report a "sick and injured" person. The report indicated that Robinson's eyes were injected and petechial hemorrhages ( tiny pinpoint red marks ) were found on his skin.
Robinson was pronounced dead at 10:17 p.m. by Medical Examiner Anne-Marie Eschle. Although Robinson death is recorded as 10:17 p.m., Milwaukee Police indicated that he died between 6 p.m. and 8:40 p.m. that evening.
The unidentified male who came to the motel with Robinson that morning left between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m., according to the police report.
In addition to Robinson's clothes, a duffle bag containing his toiletries, a black watch and car keys for a Land Rover that was found in the motel parking lot, Eschle also found lubrication on the floor next to the bed, a wet, crushed toilet-paper roll in the crook of Robinson's left arm, marijuana, an almost full bottle of Crown Royal whiskey, and one empty, one unopened bottle of Jungle Juice Plus—otherwise known as poppers.
Robinson's wife, Angela, was notified by Crystal Green of the medical examiner's office of her husband's death. Angela told them she last saw her husband at 7:30 a.m. at their home in Gurnee, Illinois. She said her husband showed no signs of illness or any major medical problems when he left the house, nor was he on any medications at the time of his death.
"There were no obvious signs of trauma and nothing suspicious was found at this time," said Sgt. Timothy Gauerke, the public information officer for the Milwaukee Police Department. "The investigation is ongoing and the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner is working to determine the cause of death. Milwaukee Police are still seeking witnesses with information about what led up to this incident and the investigation is ongoing."
An autopsy was conducted June 13 by the medical examiner's office; however, the toxicology report hasn't been released. Investigators also have the full bottle of Jungle Juice in their possession to test if deemed necessary.
Born on June 22, 1974, Robinson also played for the St. Louis Rams, Miami Dolphins, Cincinnati Bengals and Arizona Cardinals. Robinson played for the Chicago Bears during 1998-2003 and was in Super Bowl XLIII in 2009 with the Arizona Cardinals.
Robinson was best known for blocking a 28-yard field goal attempt by Ryan Longwell of the Green Bay Packers and securing a win for the Bears in the "Walter Payton game" on Nov. 7, 1999 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin—the first game played by the Bears following Payton's death six days prior. He last played professional football in 2010.
The Chicago Bears, in a statement released to the press, said, "We are saddened to hear of the loss of Bryan Robinson. He will be remembered for the determination and work ethic he displayed on the field over his six years in Chicago. The Bears and our fans will always be indebted to him for his game-saving blocked field goal in Green Bay six days after Walter Payton's passing. Our prayers are with Bryan and his family."
Note: When contacted by this publication, the owner/manager of Midpoint Motel had no comment.
