Football - USC Kicker Falls Off Cliff And Dies

It was a sad end to life of Southern California kicker Mario Danelo who died after falling from a cliff. A toxicological report that followed the autopsy has confirmed that Danelo was drunk at the time of his death. However, no drugs were found in his body. The alcohol level in Danelo’s blood was 0.23, which was almost three time the legal limit in California.

Jeffery Gutstadt, Deputy Medical Examiner of the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office, stated in his report that even though the death occurred due to multiple traumatic injuries, there are several unanswered regarding the way Danelo died. As a result the caused of the death has been stated as undetermined.

21 year old Mario Danelo was the son of former NFL kicker Joe Danelo. He had a promising career in football. Danelo was instrumental in helping USC beat Michigan 32-18 at the Rose Bowl where he scored two field goals. Apart from winning matches, he also has set the NCAA single-season records with 83 extra points and 86 attempts in 2005. In the two years that Danelo played with USC, he just missed two field goals.

Danelo’s body was recovered on January 6, 2007, more than 100 feet down a rocky cliff in San Pedro. In their preliminary investigation into the incident, the police has ruled out foul play. The police think that Danelo could have committed suicide or his death might have been an accident. Several Southern Californian players however, do not think that Danelo would have committed suicide.