Aubrey McClendon, a co-owner of the Oklahoma City Thunder, died in an automobile accident on March 2, and the Oklahoma medical examiner’s office declared it an accident on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press (via ESPN.com).
According to the Associated Press, the office issued an eight-page autopsy report stating that “multiple blunt force trauma was the cause of death.” It further stated that McClendon had “traces of a drug in his system commonly used in sleep aids” but not alcohol.
According to the Associated Press, Wednesday’s report came after police indicated on Tuesday that there wasn’t enough evidence to prove the crash was intentional.
McClendon, 56, perished in the crash, which occurred one day after he “was indicted by a federal grand jury for bid rigging, leading to speculation of a possible suicide,” according to the Associated Press.
On March 1, Clifford Krauss of the New York Times reported that the Justice Department charged McClendon, the former CEO of Chesapeake Energy, with “conspiring to suppress prices paid for oil and natural gas leases.”
Royce Young of ESPN.com published a photo of the aftermath of the incident on March 2: McClendon made news in NBA circles as a member of the Professional Basketball Club LLC, who purchased the Seattle SuperSonics and eventually relocated them to Oklahoma City prior to the 2008–09 season.
The Thunder have They’ve made the playoffs six of the last eight seasons since moving from Seattle, and this season they advanced to the Western Conference Finals, where they were defeated in seven games by the defending champion Golden State Warriors. The Thunder reached the NBA Finals in 2011-12 but lost to the Miami Heat.
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