College football player dead after crash with impaired driver, say officials, say officials

Limestone County, Ala. (Waff/Gray News) – After a fatal crash in Alabama, a driver will be charged with a college football player on Tuesday evening.

Limestone County, Mike West, the forensic doctor, identified the victim as the 22-year-old William D. Hardrick from Birmingham.

Court documents submitted in the Limestone County Show John McAdams are charged with murder in connection with Hardrick's death. He is also accused of leaving the scene of the accident and Dui.

According to court files, a blood alcohol content of 0.09%that goes beyond the legal limit was found in McAdam during the field.

Hardrick was defensive at Austin Pay State University in Tennessee. Previously, he played for Mississippi State University and Miami University in Ohio.

“William Hardrick was an extraordinary young man, and our team was broken by his loss with a heart. He made everyone better around him and had a real effect on and outside the field. We raise the Hardrick family in prayer while we mourn this tragic loss with them,” said Jeff Faris, football coach of Austin Pay State University.

According to West, Hardrick's mother said that he drove home from school at the time of crash.

West said that a vehicle that drove south on the Interstate 65 had left the street and turned over several times before the car finally stopped on the Piney Chapel Road. The man who was declared dead at the crime scene has been identified as Hardrick since then.

According to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, eight separate accidents were reported to I-65 South.

Copyright 2025 Waff on Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved.