MIAMI — The Miami-Dade Police Department announced Tuesday that the death of Konstantin Koltsov, a former Belarusian professional hockey player and girlfriend of professional tennis player Aryna Sabalenka, has been determined to be an apparent suicide. Koltsov was 42 years old.
Bal Harbor Police and Fire Rescue responded to a call at 12:39 a.m. Monday at the St. Regis Bal Harbor Resort for reports of a man jumping from a balcony, police said in a statement sent to Reuters.
“We do not suspect foul play,” the Miami-Dade Police Department said in a statement, adding that the Homicide Bureau has taken over the investigation.
Koltsov played in the 2002 and 2010 Olympics as a forward for the Belarusian national team, and played in 144 games in parts of three seasons with the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins from 2002 to 2006. The 1999 first-round draft pick had 12 goals and 26 assists for the Penguins. .
His death was confirmed by Russian club Salavat Yulaev Ufa, where he had been an assistant coach for the past two seasons. He also served as a staff assistant for the men's national team.
“Konstantin was one of the undisputed leaders of our team, a talented and progressive coach and an intelligent player,” national team coach Dmitry Baskov said in a statement. “He was an inspiration and an example of strength, hard work and dedication to many Belarusian boys and his colleagues. It is terrible and unfair that such people should leave so soon. .”
Koltsov played most of his career in the Russian Super League, which later became the KHL, where he coached Dynamo Minsk in the 2015-16 season. Koltsov won the Gagarin Cup as a player with Salavat Yulayev Ufa in 2010-2011.
“He was a strong and cheerful man who was loved and respected by his players, colleagues and fans,” the team said in a statement. ”[Koltsov] He forever etched his name into the history of our club. ”
Sabalenka, the world's No. 2 female tennis player and Australian Open champion, is in Miami to compete in the women's WTA event, the Miami Open. According to media reports, she will not withdraw from her event starting Tuesday.
Messages sent to Sabalenka's publicists and tournament officials seeking comment were not immediately returned to The Associated Press.
Sabalenka practiced Tuesday wearing all black. She received a first-round bye and is scheduled to face Romania's Simona Halep, a wild card who is returning from a doping ban, or Spain's Paula Badosa on Friday.
Her postgame press conference will not be held.
Reuters, The Associated Press and ESPN's Darcy Main contributed to this report.