Barber family shares details in RB’s death; ex-Cowboy’s brain will not be donated for CTE research
Details are emerging slowly in the death of Marion Barber III, though they are not providing much in the way of genuine answers or solace to family, friends, or fans of the late Cowboys running back.
As of midday Friday, a cause of death had not been revealed. But the Barber family has made several announcements about what will happen next as funeral arrangements are being planned.
Sadly, it appears a full account of what killed Barber may be hard to definitively determine.
Barber was found dead in his Frisco apartment on Wednesday by police officers conducting a welfare check. His body was in the bathroom with the shower running, Marion Barber II, the ex-Cowboy’s father, explained as per Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
A water leak from the apartment first alerted other residents of the unit to a potential problem. Barber is not known to have been in contact with anyone since Saturday.
It’s not clear how long Barber’s body was left exposed to the hot running water, but Barber II says that the condition of the decomposed body may be making examination difficult. Foul play is not suspected, however.
“They are just using tissue as they dig further into the cause of death,” Barber II said. “They are ruling out things. They haven’t seen any trauma, no foul substances in his body. His lungs were in working order. The heart and veins around the heart were good. They are ruling things out. Right now, we are just waiting.”
It is hoped that the Frisco coroner will have more answers on Sunday, he said.
Zoltan Papp, the lawyer who represented Barber in the legal case following his 2019 arrest, says he saw no signs that his client and friend was in any sort of trouble or distress.
“There was no indication of any desire to end his life, if that is what happened,” Papp said, according to TMZ Sports. “Everything was about the fight to bring justice and to help others. Marion is a person who at his core is pure good.”
Papp explained that Barber had recently committed to writing a book and was focused on addressing social injustice. The Minnesota native and former Golden Gophers star maintained that he had been profiled by Texas police in the incident that resulted in him pleading no contest just weeks ago to two counts of criminal mischief and being sentenced to 12 months of probation, 60 hours of community service, and a $2,000 fine.
“He has been a warrior for all in a constant battle with an unjust system,” Papp said. “He attacked his craft of football and life with grace, integrity, purpose and authenticity.”
Given Barber’s young age, his notably violent style of play over seven pro seasons, and at least two hospitalizations for mental evaluations since his 2012 retirement, many have assumed that this may be the latest tragic case of CTE claiming an otherwise healthy athlete.
Papp countered that assessment.
“Marion’s personality is grounded as a very humble and soft-spoken man,” he said, “and that may be wrongly taken as cognitive dysfunction.”
Whether the game he loved ultimately claimed Barber’s life may never be known. Barber’s family says there will be no extensive autopsy and that the running back’s brain will not be donated for research.
“He was real specific in his will that he didn’t want that,” Barber II said. “We are going to respect that. But in the condition his body was in, according to the examiner, that probably would have been a moot point because of the decomposition.”
To further add to the tragedy, the Barber family has elected to postpone funeral arrangements for a particularly heart-wrenching reason.
Marion’s youngest brother is set to be married on June 10. The date had been previously chosen as a tribute to Marion; it would have been his 39th birthday.
The family plans to move forward with the wedding. Marion’s funeral will take place on June 22 in Minneapolis, Barber’s hometown.
