The family of Rob Bironas received an explanation on Friday but still few answers.
USA TODAY Sports reported that Bironas had a blood alcohol of .218 percent when he died in a one-car crash on Sept. 20.
Rob Bironas' family baffled by the reports preceeding the former kicker's death
Bironas, son-in-law of NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Terry Bradshaw, kicked nine years for the Tennessee Titans before he was released in the offseason. His family had been struggling to find out what happened when Bironas's white SUV and off the road and crashed in an embankment.
Bironas was 36.
Bironas' family met with the Medical Examiner's Office and Metro police in Nashville, Tenn., on Friday and received the toxicology report. Though not positive news, Bironas' father seemed more at ease after finding out what happened.
"It's a sad story: He drank too much and got in the car and it cost him his life," said Larry Bironas, 68. "I don't condone drinking, and Rob knew that. ... Why it happened? Why had he been drinking so much that night? Why did he get behind the wheel? I don't know. We'll probably never know. At the same time I have to have faith and believe that someone has a better place for him.
"Rob's life served a purpose. He had a better 36 years than most people are going to see and he didn't take anybody with him, so I am thankful for that. The Lord took care of him as he saw to do it. But Rob knew better, he knew not to get in the car while drinking. It should have never happened."
The report, however, remains inconsistent with the family's claims about Bironas' condition before the crash. According to the Tennessean, the family had a video of Bironas less than two hours before his death.
Our question is if anything close to that happened (the night of his death), why?" Larry Bironas asked days before the toxicology report was made public, according to the Tennessean "What led up to it? What created that? The video an hour-and-a-half before that shows everything's good. He's happy. He's not stumbling; he is not slurring his speech. So what happened?"
The Tennessean reported that the family was suspicious of the 911 calls from a separate pair of motorists that had claimed that Bironas chased them at high speeds and threatened them. The family believed that the events were different from the family member they know.
"That's completely out of Rob's character," said Blake Bironas, Rob's younger brother.
The family said it was not aware of any fight or issue between Bironas and his wife, the former Rachel Bradshaw, before he left. Even if the couple had an argument, the family said, it didn't explain the behavior that the motorists reported.
"If something did happen, it is still not Rob that he would go out and do that. It is their business, and at the same time, we don't see any big scene there. There is no running out of the car, slamming the door or anything like that. It does not appear there is any emotion there," Larry Bironas said.
The toxicology report made the conflicting report by Rachel Bironas more relevant. She originally told police she thought he went to bed at 9:40 p.m. but later said it was 10:30 p.m. She told police she thought he had a beer earlier in the evening.
How about a 12-pack?
The family acknowledged that Bironas partied more in his younger days but had seemed to settle down.
No one else has stepped forward to claim that they saw Bironas buying alcohol or just being present anywhere else in town.
So did he really drink that much at home? And if so, was his drinking an aberration? It seems difficult to believe that Bironas would suddenly drink excessively on a whim and then get in his vehicle. The family has to consider whether Bironas had a pattern of drinking of which they weren't aware.
The family still seems to have a lot of the puzzle pieces to put together as to how Bironas got so drunk and got in a vehicle - and whether that was a one-time occurrence.
At least, the family could be thankful for the fact that no one else was injured in Bironas' tragedy.
"I told you I could live with the news, even if it was bad," Larry Bironas said, referring to the earlier interview. "Now if Rob had taken out a family, I would have had a tough time. But if God figures this is the way it has to be, it's the way it has to be."
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