Jose Fernandez Had Cocaine and Alcohol in his System When His Boat Crashed

A toxicology report released Saturday showed former Miami Marlins pitcher Jose Fernandez had cocaine and alcohol in his system when he died in a boating accident in September, the Associated Press reported.

Fernandez had a blood-alcohol content level of 0.147, which is well over Florida’s legal limit of 0.08, though it is not known who was driving the boat when it crashed.

The medical examiner settled on “boat crash” as the cause of death for the 24-year-old Fernandez, Emilio Jesus Macias, 27, and Eduardo Rivero, 25. All suffered blunt force injuries to the head and body. Macias also tested positive for cocaine. All three men tested positive for alcohol, though Rivero and Macias were below the legal limit.

An attorney representing Fernandez’s family, Ralph E. Fernandez (who is unrelated to Jose), told the AP cocaine use was out of character for Fernandez.

"“That leads me to think, could this be an isolated incident? Yes. Could this have been involuntary? Yes. Why do you think there’s still a criminal investigation pending?”"

Major League Baseball players are routinely and randomly tested for performance-enhancing drugs, but not for recreational ones, and rarely face discipline for using them unless they are convicted of a crime.

Fernandez died Sept. 25 when his boat crashed into some rocks near the shore off the coast of Miami.