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Talented Ex-NBA Player Meets Tragic End

Fiery crash killed Griffin; career undone by substance abuse

By Heather McPherson,  Newser User

Posted Aug 22, 2007 1:40 PM CDT

(Newser) – Several days after a fiery car wreck in Houston, the man in an SUV hit by a train was identified yesterday as Eddie Griffin, a former first-round NBA draft pick whose career was short-circuited by alcohol. The Houston Chronicle reports Griffin's body was so badly burned that dental records were needed to confirm his identity.

Drafted out of Seton Hall in 2001 to be the Rockets' cornerstone forward, Griffin never lived up to expectations in Houston, encountering substance-abuse and legal issues there and at subsequent stops with New Jersey and Minnesota. "He was a wonderful, gentle soul, but he was an alcoholic," said a lawyer for Griffin, 25. "Alcohol always got in the way."

Eddie Griffin blocks a short during a Portland Trail Blazers/Minnesota Timberwolves game.
Eddie Griffin blocks a short during a Portland Trail Blazers/Minnesota Timberwolves game.   (Getty Images)
Sacramento Kings v Minnesota Timberwolves
Sacramento Kings v Minnesota Timberwolves   (Getty Images)
Minnesota Timberwolves forward Eddie Griffin (41) drives against Memphis Grizzlies forward Brian Cardinal during the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game in Minneapolis,in this April 19, 2006 file photo. Griffin, a former Timberwolves forward, died last week when his sport utility vehicle collided with a freight train in...
Minnesota Timberwolves forward Eddie Griffin (41) drives against Memphis Grizzlies forward Brian Cardinal during the fourth quarter of an NBA basketball game in Minneapolis,in this April 19, 2006 file...   (Associated Press)
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