Former Rice football player charged in death of DE Blain Padgett
A former Rice defensive lineman Stuart Mouchantaf has been charged in the death of defensive end Blain Padgett.
Padgett was found dead in his bed at 21 after he missed a practice in early March. His death was ruled to be from the synthetic opioid carfentanil.
Mouchantaf allegedly supplied the drug
According to ABC 13 in Houston, Mouchantaf is charged with supplying the drug to Padgett. Delivery of a controlled substance is a second-degree felony in Texas.
Carfentanil was originally devised as an elephant tranquilizer. Padgett’s family said they believed their son thought he was taking hydrocodone and the pill he took ended up having the synthetic opioid in it.
Per the ABC 13 report, Mouchantaf had purchased a one-way plane ticket to Lebanon before his arrest.
Padgett had 41 tackles in 2016
Padgett was expected to be a significant contributor to Rice’s defense in 2018 after playing in just three games in 2017 because of a shoulder injury.
Mouchantaf came to Rice from Blinn Junior College, where he played in 2011. He had 33 tackles in 2013, his best season with the team. He last played for Rice in 2015 as a senior when he had six tackles.
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Nick Bromberg is a writer for Yahoo Sports.
