Former Auburn Tiger and Cincinnati Bengal Rudi Johnson has died at the age of 45 after committing suicide.
Police told TMZ Sports that the former NFL standout ended his life in Florida shortly after midnight on Tuesday, after “struggling with mental health issues and the possible effects of CTE that he could not overcome.”
A family member told the outlet that before his death, Johnson was doing everything he could to help people “on and off the field.”
Johnson became the 100th overall selection of the Bengals in the 2001 NFL Draft after a stellar junior season at Auburn, which saw him run for 1.567 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Once in Cincinnati, Johnson didn’t make an impact until his third year in the league. However, once he received regular reps, he immediately demonstrated his value. In 2003, Johnson ran for 957 yards and nine touchdowns on 215 carries.
In 2004, 2005, and 2006, the former Auburn Tiger saw his workload dramatically increase as he exceeded 1300 yards per year in each of those seasons and became a prominent fixture of the offense.
Johnson’s career ended in Detroit in 2008.
“Rudi was a fine person and an excellent running back for us,” Bengals President Mike Brown said.
“He was dependable and productive as a player and very popular among his teammates. Everyone liked him and saw him as a dear friend. We are deeply saddened by his passing.”
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