Former Raven Tony Fein dies in Washington

Tony Fein, an Iraq war veteran who played for the Baltimore Ravens in the preseason and was arrested in a high-profile incident at the Inner Harbor, was found dead Tuesday morning in his home state of Washington, officials said.

The 27-year-old linebacker was discovered face down and unconscious in the living room of a friend's townhome in Port Orchard about 8:50 a.m., according to Mike Wernet, a battalion chief and medical officer for the South Kitsap Fire and Rescue.

Fein had vomited and was pronounced dead an hour later at a local hospital, Wernet said.

The county coroner, Allen G. Gerdes, said the cause of death was unclear pending an autopsy and toxicology tests, but he said that there was no indication of criminal activity. The local sheriff's office said that it opened a routine death investigation on Tuesday afternoon after learning of the death through news reports.

Ravens star Ray Lewis, who helped mentor Fein during training camp, said Fein was a "humble young man." "He was always searching for some type of direction. It's really sad," Lewis said. "Our heart definitely goes out to his family. It's heartfelt when you wake up and get news like that with someone you just went to war with."

Fein's death came one day before he was due to appear in Baltimore District Court to face charges that he assaulted a city police officer investigating a report that a gun – later determined to be a cell phone – had been passed between a group of Ravens players having a meal at the Inner Harbor.

The Aug. 23 incident drew headlines after Fein's agent said that the officer's actions constituted racial profiling, the result of a stepped-up and what some called overly aggressive police presence in the wake of a double-shooting at the city's waterfront tourist hub.

Margaret T. Burns, a spokeswoman for State's Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy, said prosecutors had notified Fein and his attorney last week that charges in that case would be dropped Wednesday morning, saying the scant information provided by police – including no witness statements other than from police and Harborplace security – was conflicting. Prosecutors visited Ravens training camp to obtain statements from the players who were with Fein at the time.

Police declined to answer questions about the investigation, saying they stand behind the officer's account. Fein, for his part, had denied the charges.

"I talked to him Thursday, and he indicated then that he was still bothered" by the arrest, said attorney Warren A. Brown. Fein, an undrafted free agent linebacker who played college football at Mississippi, was released by the Ravens in their final major cutdown Sept. 5.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh, who spoke to the team Wednesday morning about Fein's death, said he was proud that Fein was part of the Ravens.

"It's just a shock and we're saddened, " Harbaugh said. "He's a tremendous young man. He's a Raven to us and always will be."

Fein's journey to the NFL was a study in persistence: After high school, he worked as a roofer for a year before joining the Army to make money for college. He served 3½ years, including a tour of duty in Iraq where he served as a reconnaissance scout and was shot at.

"I was lucky to come out unscathed," Fein told The Baltimore Sun, "so I'm grateful for that every day."

Upon his return, he enrolled at Scottsdale (Ariz.) Community College, where football coach Doug Madowski recalled that Fein showed up unannounced and quickly impressed. He received junior college All-American honors and went on to the University of Mississippi, where he was a defensive standout.

"Every year since he's left, I've said, 'Damn, I wish we could have another one like Tony Fein,'" Madowski said. Although old for a rookie, Fein, at 6 feet 2, 245 pounds, caught the eyes of scouts at the Mississippi's Pro Day, where the school's football players audition for scouts before the NFL draft.

Fein had said he relished the opportunity to play with the Ravens. "It's just a dream come true, really. To be out here to compete and ... learn with some of the best football players of the world ... wow."

But Fein encountered controversy while in Baltimore. He was eating at an Inner Harbor restaurant when security officers notified police about a group of men passing around a large silver object suspected of being a firearm, but which turned out to be a cellular phone, police said.

When officers approached the group, who were seated at a counter, they demanded that Fein stand, but he refused, according to a police report. When Fein stood after being asked to do so for a second time, police said he shoved Sgt. Robert Donato, a 15-year veteran, in the chest and was immediately arrested.

Fein was charged with second-degree assault. Burns, the city prosecutor's spokeswoman, said some of the witness statements indicated that Fein only brushed against Donato as he stood up in the crowded restaurant. There was no video of the incident, and no patrons or other witnesses were identified.

Fein was a native of Port Orchard, nine miles outside Seattle, and was working out there while awaiting another shot at playing football, his agent said. They discussed the possibility that he might play for a team in Canada.

"As I understand it, it was an accidental situation," agent Milton D. Hobbs told The Associated Press. "As far as I understand it from family members, there's nothing to indicate that he intended to hurt himself."

Michael Oher, the Ravens' No. 1 draft choice in the spring and Fein's college teammate at Mississippi, said his friend "definitely loved football and wanted to be a part of it."

"He's a great guy who has been in my thoughts," Oher said. "He's a guy who is always happy for you. He always had a smile on his face and kept guys laughing.

"I went to battle with this guy. We shared victories together, so it was heartbreaking [to hear that he died]."