Andy Reid
Garrett Reid, the 29-year-old son of Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid (pictured,) died of an accidental heroin overdose, a Pennsylvania coroner announced Thursday. Reuters

Garrett Reid, the 29-year-old son of Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid, died of an accidental heroin overdose, a Pennsylvania coroner announced Thursday.

Garrett Reid, who had been battling drug problems and served time in prison, died Aug. 5 in a room in Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. The university hosts Eagles training camp, and Reid was helping out the team's strength and conditioning coach.

While Reid’s death was highly suspected to be from a drug overdose (Andy Reid said his son “lost the battle that has been ongoing for the last eight years” shortly after he died), the coroner’s determination makes the cause of death official.

A syringe and spoon associated with heroin use were found in Garret Reid’s room, investigators told the Associated Press.

"We are confident today that Mr. Reid's death was the result of a self-injected lethal dose of heroin," Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli said at a news conference in Easton, Pa., the AP reported.

More than 45 syringes and 65 needles were found in Reid’s room by investigators, along with 19 vials of an “unknown liquid,” according to the AP.

While Morganelli said he was unsure “what those substances are at this time,” he said they did not play a role in Garrett Reid’s death.

The 29-year-old son of Andy Reid was trying to turn his life around after being sentenced to two years in prison in 2007 after he was involved in a high-speed crash that injured another person while he was on heroin, the AP reported.

At his sentencing for the 2007 crime, Garrett Reid indicated that he acknowledged the dangers of the path he was on.

"I don't want to die doing drugs. I don't want to be that kid who was the son of the head coach of the Eagles, who was spoiled and on drugs and OD'd and just faded into oblivion," he said at the time.

The coroner determined Garret Reid died of a heroin overdose after a 10-week autopsy.

The Reid family said the official cause of death “sadly confirmed what we had expected all along,” according to the Delaware County Times.

“We understood that Garrett’s long-standing battle with addiction was going to be difficult. He will, however, always have our family’s love and respect for the courage he showed in trying to overcome it,” the family said in a statement. “In the end, we take comfort in our faith and know that he’s in a better place. We miss Garrett. We miss his smile, his laugh, and his energy and we will forever love him.”