Yahoo Finance Former MLB Player Jeremy Giambi Hit In Head With Baseball 6 Months Before Suicide
Former Oakland A's outfielder Jeremy Giambi played six seasons in Major League Baseball. (Photo: Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)
A freak baseball injury may have led to the suicide of former baseball player Jeremy Giambi.
A new medical examiner’s report obtained by TMZ suggests that Giambi’s demeanor drastically changed after he was hit in the head with a baseball last August while working as a pitching coach.
Giambi, 47, suffered a fractured zygomatic bone and required surgery.
During his recovery, witnesses told investigators that Giambi’s personality changed after the injury, and he became “very emotional, very negative and would let the smallest things ruin his day.”
Another witness described him as “very emotional, depressed and paranoid.”
Despite having scans done and seeing a neurologist, Giambi was not diagnosed with anything, according to the report. He did have a past history of drug use, but lab results showed he had no alcohol or drugs in his system when he died.
Giambi was found dead in his mother’s home in Claremont, California, on February 9. The coroner’s report listed the cause of death as a gunshot wound to the chest, according to USA Today.
Giambi played in the major leagues for four teams between 1998 to 2003, two of those seasons with his older brother, Jason Giambi.
He was portrayed by actor Nick Porazzo in the 2011 Brad Pitt film, “Moneyball.”
If you or someone you know needs help, call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. You can also text HOME to 741-741 for free, 24-hour support from the Crisis Text Line. Outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention for a database of resources.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
