REPORTS: Former Bengals linebacker Thomas Howard dies in a car wreck in California

According to KCBD former Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Thomas Howard has died in a high-speed car accident on Monday. The report states that a speeding BMW rear-ended a "big rig" in Oakland, California at a high rate of speed and lost control. KTVU initially reported on the accident but names weren't released yet. Per the report:

CHP Sgt. Robert Cullinan said the horrific crash took place at about 12:50 a.m. on southbound Highway 880 between Fifth and 10th avenues.

"The BMW was traveling northbound at a high rate of speed," Cullinan said. "It rear-ended a big rig, rolled over several times, bouncing over the center divider wall and collided head-on with the CRV in the other lane."

The BMW was traveling at speeds more than 100 miles per hour, according to Cullinan, crashing into the rig. The car "launched into the air" and crossed the center median, struck a Chevrolet Monte Carlo and crashed head-on into a gray Honda CRV, CHP Officer Daniel Hill told KRON. According to witnesses, Howard was the one driving the vehicle.

Howard spent two seasons with the Bengals in 2011 and '12. He led the team with 120 tackles in 2011 but a knee injury during practice prior to week two ended his season last year. Howard, released earlier this month by the Atlanta Falcons, visited with the Bengals several times so that the team could check his surgically repaired knee for a possible return.