Former IU football, basketball player James Hardy found dead

On Thursday afternoon, the Allen County coroner identified the body of a man found dead in a river in Fort Wayne as that of former IU football and basketball player James Hardy. He was 31.

The mother of Hardy reported him missing on May 30 before being found yesterday, June 7, in Fort Wayne.

Per the WPTA, the ABC affiliate out of Fort Wayne:

Police were called to the 800 block of North Anthony Boulevard around 2:30 Wednesday afternoon for a body recovery in the Maumee river. Police say the body was discovered after a water plant worker noticed a smell around the area. The worker was inspecting the dam at the time and smelled something which he called foul. Upon further inspection, the body was discovered caught up in the log jam. It appears the body was in the water for awhile.

Hardy played for the Hoosiers on the gridiron from 2005 until 2007. In his final season in Bloomington, he caught 79 passes for 1125 yards and 16 touchdowns, earning him First Team All-Big Ten honors. He also played two season with the basketball program in that time.

Hardy would be drafted in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills and would bounce around the NFL through 2011 before playing for a pair of Arena League teams in 2012 and 2013.

After his NFL career, Hardy had run-ins with the law, including an arrest in 2014.

We will continue to update this post as more information is available.