Alcohol appears to have been a factor in the death of Bengals assistant coach Adam Zimmer, son of longtime NFL coach Mike Zimmer, according to a court filing.
Adam Zimmer died last week though no immediate cause of death was given. He was 38 years old.
Minnesota Vikings co-defensive coordinator Adam Zimmer takes the field before the game against the Chicago Bears at U.S. Bank Stadium on January 9, 2022, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)
However, according to court filings obtained by the Star Tribune, Zimmer “appeared to have bruising or blood pooling around his eye.” Police were called to Zimmer’s home to perform a welfare check last week and found the coach on his couch. Officers were told that Zimmer had been drinking heavily. An unidentified woman was present with Zimmer in his home when officers arrived.
Police do not suspect foul play, and no official cause of death has been given.
According to ESPN:
Adam Zimmer joined the Vikings’ coaching staff when his father was hired as head coach in 2014. He served as linebackers coach for six seasons before being promoted to co-defensive coordinator in 2020. He was fired along with his father and the majority of the coaching staff following the 2021 season.
Zimmer began his coaching career in 2006 with the New Orleans Saints as an assistant linebackers coach. He held a similar position with the Kansas City Chiefs from 2010-12. He joined his father with the Cincinnati Bengals as an assistant defensive backs coach in 2013, during Mike Zimmer’s final season there as a defensive coordinator, before moving with him to the Vikings.
The news was confirmed by Corri Zimmer White, Adam’s sister, in an Instagram post on Tuesday.
“I can’t believe I’m writing this. I lost my big brother yesterday. The kindest, sweetest, family loving, sports obsessed soul there ever was,” she wrote. “My heart is shattered and it hurts so bad. I don’t know how to juggle being a mom to one year old twin boys and the grief of losing my brother so unexpectedly. I’m so lost, I’m so overwhelmed, I’m so heartbroken.”