Jason Botchford of the Athletic..dead at age 48

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by shadowlord

RIP.

From Reddit, The Athletic has unlocked all of his articles for non-subscribers.

https://theathletic.com/author/jason-botchford/

Really tough to look at those pictures of his wife and young children. I get that life isn't fair but I know some elder people that live almost like they are taunting mortality with total disregard for their health by excessive smoking, drinking, overeating, etc and they just keep going like the energizer bunny and it's such a bummer to see people like this go early by contrast.

[Saint Troy]

Just awful, he was a very talented writer, his post game “Provies” were brilliant. RIP.

[Geeoff]

RIP. Definitely an overall decrease in the quality of hockey journalism

[SportsJunky]

The Athletic has a number of photos of him and his kids up right now. Beautiful children. That’s rough.

[Hockey]

I’m never good at putting into words how I feel in these situations and sometimes I wonder why I would be upset over someone’s passing that I didn’t know personally, but today I had a tough time at work. Botch was the only reason I gotta subscription to The Athletic. These past couple seasons I looked more forward to his articles then I did the game. Things won’t be the same here in Vancouver media. RIP Botch

[TorqueDog]

Awful news. Just awful. Far, far too young.

[Karl]

Very sad. RIP.

[chummer]

Always liked his edge and his takes.

RIP Jason.

[sureLoss]

Family says that the cause of death has been confirmed to be an accidental overdose of cocaine and fentanyl

https://twitter.com/user/status/1299422792320942087

[SportsJunky]

Ah man, that sucks.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

That’s so tragic and sad.

I can’t help but wonder if substance abuse is more common than we think among sports journalists due to their close proximity to athletes (who frequently have substance abuse issues of their own) or if maybe this was demons all of his own.

Either way, it’s goddamn tragic.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

That’s so tragic and sad.

I can’t help but wonder if substance abuse is more common than we think among sports journalists due to their close proximity to athletes (who frequently have substance abuse issues of their own) or if maybe this was demons all of his own.

Either way, it’s goddamn tragic.

I think in general substance abuse is more common among white collar professions than people generally think.

Especially in professions with travel, tight deadlines, and late hours.

Sad to see another life tragically taken by substance abuse and addiction.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

That’s so tragic and sad.

I can’t help but wonder if substance abuse is more common than we think among sports journalists due to their close proximity to athletes (who frequently have substance abuse issues of their own) or if maybe this was demons all of his own.

Either way, it’s goddamn tragic.

It may not be related to substance abuse. Overdosing, especially on fentanyl, can happen from very recreational or occasional use.

I don't know if it's helpful or not to categorize him as a drug abuser or an addict, but it's definitely important to recognize that overdosing on fentanyl is very very easy.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

It may not be related to substance abuse. Overdosing, especially on fentanyl, can happen from very recreational or occasional use.

I don't know if it's helpful or not to categorize him as a drug abuser or an addict, but it's definitely important to recognize that overdosing on fentanyl is very very easy.

And that the prevalence of Fentanyl in the market where he was obtaining the recreational substance is sky high.

Most of the people dying in BC of fentanyl overdoses are not IV drug users but recreational drug users using tainted drugs.

It's one reason the lack of safe supply in bc/Canada is so morally outrageous and I hope the tragedy of an accidental overdose of such a beloved local figure light finally put a face in that powerful enough to FINALLY enact a groundswell of support for change.

[dino7c]

I'm glad the family was brave enough to share this information. Could help save someone's life

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

It may not be related to substance abuse. Overdosing, especially on fentanyl, can happen from very recreational or occasional use.

I don't know if it's helpful or not to categorize him as a drug abuser or an addict, but it's definitely important to recognize that overdosing on fentanyl is very very easy.

Well substance abuse could still apply in a broader sense. I don’t see substance abuse and addict as completely interchangeable terms. But him being an addict or not is irrelevant. So is the ODing on fentanyl. Which we all already know is deadly and I’m sure Jason knew too. I mean, who doesn’t know fentanyl is dangerous?

My point is that he’s in close proximity to a group of people who have long been rumoured to use hard drugs. Except they have excellent options for athletes with concerns about their drug use, not to mention testing. Jason almost certainly didn’t have access to that level of care.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

Well substance abuse could still apply in a broader sense. I don’t see substance abuse and addict as completely interchangeable terms. But him being an addict or not is irrelevant. So is the ODing on fentanyl. Which we all already know is deadly and I’m sure Jason knew too. I mean, who doesn’t know fentanyl is dangerous?

My point is that he’s in close proximity to a group of people who have long been rumoured to use hard drugs. Except they have excellent options for athletes with concerns about their drug use, not to mention testing. Jason almost certainly didn’t have access to that level of care.

They're not interchangeable, but substance abuse is significantly more serious than recreational substance use, and there's no indications from what little we know from his family or his work that indicates an issue with substance abuse.

Plenty of people know fentanyl is dangerous, but unfortunately, few people know if their drugs are laced with fentanyl. Many people use hard drugs, NHL players included, I just don't think there's anything that indicates it should have been a concern or that Jason required access to the same level of care as the NHL's substance abuse program.

That's my point, which is entirely relevant to yours. You do not need to abuse a substance, have an addiction, or be in a state that requires intervention to overdose, especially when the drug is laced with fentanyl.

I hope the outcome of this is not "he had an issue/demons, and that's why this happened" but the recognition that it can happen to any drug user, so being aware of your source is important, and we should do more to ensure safe access.

[chedder]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

It may not be related to substance abuse. Overdosing, especially on fentanyl, can happen from very recreational or occasional use.



I don't know if it's helpful or not to categorize him as a drug abuser or an addict, but it's definitely important to recognize that overdosing on fentanyl is very very easy.

Isn't the fact that cocaine was present indicative of 'substance abuse'? Strange combo (to me anyway). Doesn't one rev you up and the other numbs you? Sad no matter what.
Edit: I just clued in to the fact that he could have been a recreational cocaine user and that this batch was laced with fentanyl.

[afc wimbledon]

casual users are massively more at risk of overdosing than 'addicts' there are several reasons for this, first a casual user tends not to have a reliable supply or knowledge of what the currant street drug strength is running at, it is akin to filling up your car once a month rather than every couple of days, and the strength of street drugs varies wildly.
Secondly casual users dont have the physical tolerance an active addict has and in some ways the most important. casual users tend to use alone in an unsafe manner as they are not open about their drug use, an active drug addict these days generally wont use without a buddy with a narcan kit in the room, addicts use in pairs these days, casual users tend to head off to the can or somewhere quiet and dont keep a narcan kit nearby as that requires admitting they are using

[Bonded]

I am actually surprised this doesn't happen more often to be honest. No idea if he is a regular user but I know more than a handful of people who use cocaine as party drug every few months. I am always worried when I see it that it will be laced.

I am on the extreme end of it but I think they should legalize all drugs to make sure the supply is as safe as possible.