The football world is mourning this week after the death of a former NFL running back.
According to TMZ Sports, former Cincinnati Bengals and Detroit Lions back Rudi Johnson has died at the age of 45. The outlet says that Johnson’s death appears to be a result of suicide, and that other health issues may have contributed.
Johnson played for two teams in his career after being selected as a fourth round pick from Auburn, but he became a national sensation during his college days. The running back earned all-conference honors in 2000, in addition to the SEC’s Player of the Year award.
Rudi Johnson’s Pro Football Career
Johnson would earn the most significant accolade of his career in 2004, when he was selected to the Pro Bowl as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals. Appearing in all 16 games during the regular season, Johnson would set career marks in carries and rushing touchdowns.
Johnson is still Cincinnati’s single-season rushing leader, setting the franchise record in 2005 with 1,458 yards on the ground. After spending the first seven year of his career with the Bengals, Johnson would end his run with the Lions as a member of the famed 0-16 team.
Late into his stint with Cincinnati, Johnson established his own charitable foundation. The organization worked to help children and families through several efforts, with a particular focus on underprivileged children in Jamaica.
He also worked with other athletes from the NFL and NBA to run sports camps for children, with players from the Pittsburgh Steelers and Boston Celtics arriving to volunteer their time.
What Could Have Led to Johnson’s Death?
TMZ noted that Johnson “had been recently struggling with mental health issues and the possible effects of CTE that he could not overcome.”
Definitive testing after a person’s death is generally required to determine if someone had CTE, but autopsies of hundreds of former football players show that it is extremely likely.
According to a 2023 study by Boston University, 345 out of 376 former players to have their brains studied after death were found to have CTE. The university notes that these findings do not suggest a definitive conclusion that 91% of former players have or will have CTE, but that it is an extremely likely outcome for those who play the sport for an extended period of time.
BU’s findings concluded that repeated head trauma is the likeliest cause for CTE in former players – a conclusion that is corroborated by other neurological experts.
“CTE is a delayed neurodegenerative disorder that was initially identified in postmortem brains and, research-to-date suggests, is caused in part by repeated traumatic brain injuries,” says the National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Rest in peace to Rudi Johnson. We send our condolences to his friends, family, loved ones and supporters during this difficult time.
