• Former NFL cornerback Vontae Davis died of undetermined causes, according to an autopsy report released more than a year after his death.
• While the cause of death is inconclusive, the report notes Davis’ history of drug use and a positive test for amphetamines/methamphetamines and cannabinoids.
• Davis’ ex-wife believed he suffered from CTE, though it was not confirmed by the autopsy, and that he used drugs to mitigate symptoms.

Former Miami Dolphins cornerback Vontae Davis died of undetermined causes, the Broward County Medical Examiner said in an autopsy report released Friday.

The report comes more than a year after the death of Davis, 35, on April 1, 2024, at his home in Southwest Ranches in western Broward County. He was discovered lying unresponsive on the floor of his home gym by his personal assistant.

Davis was the Dolphins’ first-round draft choice in 2009 and played for Miami until being traded to Indianapolis in 2012.

Despite the overarching inconclusive diagnosis, the autopsy report includes multiple references to illicit drug use by Davis.

Vernon Davis, a former San Francisco 49ers tight end, said his brother had “an extensive history of alcohol and illicit drug use,” according to the report.

Megan Harpe, Vontae’s ex-wife, told the medical examiner Vontae suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, although CTE can be diagnosed only after death and a postmortem CTE test was not performed on him. Harpe told the examiner’s office that she enrolled him in a therapy program in Los Angeles but that after he was discharged prematurely, in her view, he began to use drugs to mitigate CTE symptoms.

The toxicology report lists Davis as testing positive for amphetamines/methamphetamines and cannabinoids, including a positive urine test for methamphetamines.

Valentina Bukharova, Davis’ personal assistant, also described Davis as an illicit drug user, according to a detective from the Davie Police Department.

The medical examiner’s report includes authorities finding various pink and white tablets at the scene along with red stains in various parts of the home. Cannabis-infused gummy packages were found in the kitchen along with a spoon “which appears to have a burnt marking,” the report says.

For more than a year, authorities were tight-lipped about the case, saying little beyond an initial statement that foul play was not suspected. And Friday’s report says that a review of cameras in Davis’ home revealed he had been alone for hours before his death.

Vernon Davis suspected his brother introduced something into his body

Vernon Davis told podcast host Cheryl Burke last summer that he suspected his brother introduced something into his body that killed him.

“I’m still unaware of what exactly happened because the reports didn’t come out yet,” Davis said. “But you know there was no foul play, so it was probably due to something he put in his body.”

Vontae was drafted by the Dolphins with the 25th overall selection in 2009. He was a two-time Pro Bowl selection over nine-plus seasons in the NFL, although he gained a measure of notoriety for how he departed both the Dolphins and Buffalo Bills.

Upon being told he’d been traded to the Colts, Davis told Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland he wanted to phone his grandmother, a scene captured by HBO cameras for “Hard Knocks” even though Davis later said he was unaware he was being filmed. Davis quit the game for good during his first game with the Bills, surprising his new teammates.