Tuesday, May 8, 2001

Former Cowboy sued
in Tuinei's death

Star-Bulletin news services

DALLAS >> The widow of former Dallas Cowboys tackle Mark Tuinei sued a friend and former teammate in connection with Tuinei's drug death.

A lawyer for Pono Tuinei yesterday accused Nicky Sualua of causing Tuinei's death two years ago by not calling 911 for several hours after he passed out from an overdose.

"There were suspicious and incomplete facts and a lot of unknowns surrounding the death of Mark Tuinei," lawyer Larry Friedman told the Associated Press.

"Mrs. Tuinei decided to file the lawsuit against Nicky Sualua to establish civil liability and to uncover the truth surrounding her husband's death."

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages.

A telephone number for Sualua was not listed and he could not be reached today by the AP. A Cowboys spokesman said the team had no comment.

Tuinei had retired from football after the 1997 season because of knee injuries. The Cowboys released Sualua in June 1999.

In March, four Plano men who worked for drug rings that supplied Tuinei with the lethal dose of heroin were sentenced to prison terms on charges of conspiracy to distribute heroin and cocaine.