Bart Starr’s Son Found Dead in Florida Home

The badly decomposed body of Bret Michael Starr was found in a suburban Tampa, Fla., house leased by his father, former Green Bay Packers quarterback and coach Bart Starr.

Bart Starr summoned police after he arrived at his 24-year-old son’s house Thursday morning, discovered a foul smell and couldn’t get in, said Hillsborough Capt. Gary Terry.

Terry said there were no obvious signs of trauma to the body, such as bullet or knife wounds.

Sheriff’s spokesman Jack Espinosa said: “The place was locked up tight. The body was lying on the floor in a dining area that opened into a backyard. It had been there an estimated two to four days, and the air-conditioning was off.”

Authorities said they would have to await an autopsy report from the Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s office to find out the cause of death but added that there were no signs of a struggle in the house and no reason to suspect foul play.

Bret Starr moved to Tampa in late 1984 and was part owner of a wholesale exotic fish and reptile importing company called Gulf Coast Fisheries.

Authorities have given no indication that the death was related to drugs, but the younger Starr had problems with drugs in the past.

Bart Starr wrote about the problem in his autobiography.

Bret had trouble handling life as the son of a famous athlete, especially of a famous athlete who became an unsuccessful coach, Bart Starr wrote.

“Looking back, there were definite signs,” Bart Starr wrote. “Bret was experimenting with drugs, but Cherry and I were in a denial stage, unable to believe our young son could possibly be involved in anything so ugly. Unbeknownst to us, by the time Bret graduated from high school, he was well on his way to a cocaine addiction.”