Michael Cohen of the Athletic reports that Packers OL Cole Madison, who elected not to report to the team for the start of training camp due to a personal matter, has been deeply affected by the tragic death of Washington State QB Tyler Hilinski, who took his own life last year.
According to Cohen, Madison’s absence can be linked to emotional distress brought on by the suicide of his close friend.
“The death of Tyler is in his head,” a source familiar with Madison’s situation tells Cohen. “I don’t think he’s coming back. At least he’s not showing signs of it right now.”
It was later discovered that Hilinski had been dealing with CTE.
Madison, 24, is a former fifth-round pick of the Packers back in 2018. He signed a four-year, $2,784,332 contract that includes a $324,332 signing bonus.
After not reporting to the team for the start of training camp, Green Bay placed Madison on the did-not-report list where he remained for the entire 2018 season.
During his college career at WSU, Madison started 47 games at right tackle and was a second-team All-Pac 12 selection as a senior.
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