UPDATE (5:15 pm, EST): A Grindr spokesperson provided The Daily Caller with the following statement:
We are extremely saddened to hear about this tragedy and our thoughts are with Michael Wright’s family and friends. We treat all reports of crime very seriously and, if contacted by authorities, will fully cooperate. But, as a matter of policy, Grindr does not discuss details of specific incidents.
Former University of Arizona Wildcats basketball star Michael Wright was found dead inside a car in Brooklyn on Tuesday.
Police discovered the 35-year-old covered in garbage bags in the backseat of his Lexus SUV after his roommates reported him missing on Sunday. The cause of death appears to be a skull fracture, possibly delivered by a man he met on the gay dating app called Grindr, reports the New York Daily News.
Wright played for Arizona from 1998-2000. He was drafted by the Knicks in 2001 but never played in the NBA, last playing professionally in France this past year.
Members of Wright’s family were shocked to hear of his death.
“We are in disbelief,” Wright’s cousin Randolph Berry told the New York Daily News. “He’s a gentle giant. He was a good person.”
Additionally, Wright’s family was shocked to hear that he was gay.
“We don’t know anything about his personal life,” Berry added. “All we know is that he did damage overseas. When he played ball, he destroyed everyone in front of him.”