Early this afternoon, 6ABC.com reported that a source revealed that Garrett Reid died of a heroin overdose, but no confirmation was available prior to the news conference.
Garrett Reid suffered from drug addiction for much of the last decade.
He had been working for the Eagles as a strength and conditioning coach and had been a fixture around the team since his release from prison in 2009.
He had a long, troubled past involving drug addiction.
In January 2007, after a car accident that injured another person, the eldest of Reid's five children admitted using heroin, then failed drug tests prior to his sentencing to two to 23 months behind bars. Later that year, he was charging with trying to smuggle prescription drugs into jail, and May 2009 tested positive upon returning from a furlough from a treatment center. That led to a stint in Graterford Prison.
His parents, Andy and Tammy, had him seek treatment at various rehabilitation centers, and to those around the Eagles, Garrett Reid appeared to be winning the battle, so his death at such a young age stunned many.
Although the district attorney's conclusion comes more than two months after the death, it is still within a normal time frame for investigations that involve toxicology testing.
Such testing often requires a series of follow-ups, as blood, urine and other samples are analyzed for many substances.
