A body believed to be that of former Houston Texans player JaJuan Dawson was found Monday night in a lake where he disappeared Sunday. The lake is located outside the Dallas area near the towns of McKinney and Plano, Texas.
On Sunday, the 37-year-old was with his three children and other family members on Lake Lavon. According to WFAA, Dawson was being towed by the boat in an inflatable tube and was not wearing a life jacket at the time of his disappearance.
Lieutenant Chris Havey of the Collin County Sheriff’s Office told NFL Media that Dawson’s body had been found late Monday night. Havey also confirmed alcohol did not play a role in the accident: “The body has since been transported to the Collin County Medical Examiner for identification, though there is ‘little doubt’ that the body is Dawson, Havey confirmed. The Sheriff’s Office is treating this as an accident and their involvement in the matter has since concluded.”
A 911 call was placed at 6:30 p.m. Sunday by a family member and a rescue team was dispatched shortly after. The search lasted until 11:30 p.m. and resumed the following Monday morning.
Dawson graduated from Bourgeois High School in Houston and played football for Tulane University before being drafted by the Cleveland Browns in 2000.
As a receiver, he spent two seasons with the Browns before moving to the Houston Texans. Over the course of his career, he had 52 catches for 664 yards and two touchdowns.
Dawson lived in Murphy, Texas, with his wife and three children.