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Former Cincinnati Bengals The Rudi Johnson corridor shared an inspiring message with young athletes in his native state of Virginia a few days before, according to the reports, he died for suicide.
Johnson, 45, was included in the Chesterfield Sports Hall of Fame on September 18 as Thomas Dale High School and the product of the Ettick Trojans of the Quarterback Chesterfield League.
The Cincinnati Bengals corridor (32) Rudi Johnson is against the Carolina Panthers at the Paul Brown stadium on October 22, 2006. (Matthew Emmons/USA Today Sports)
The first NFL Star shared an inspiring message in a video reproduced at the induction ceremony, where he thanked the coaches and teammates and shared the advice and breath he received over the years.
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“I want to give special thanks to all the people who came before me, the students of Thomas Dale High School and Ettick Trojans,” he said in the video, according to the New York Post.
“In addition, the same people who came after me. So, said that, I just want to say great, shoot the stars, stay focused, never give up. And one more thing: for all the children of Chesterfield County, I will be watching the next star that is born.”
Johnson was an outstanding corridor for the Auburn Tigers Before the Bengals selected him in the fourth round of the NFL 2001 Draft. He spent seven seasons with the Bengals and one with the Detroit lions. He was a professional bowling player with Cincinnati in 2004.
Cincinnati Bengals Fullback (32) Rudi Johnson carries the ball against Detroit’s lions in Ford Field on December 18, 2005. (Tom Szczerbowski/USA Today Sports)
The former Bengals star, Rudi Johnson, dead at 45
“Rudi was a good person and an excellent corridor for us,” said the president of the Bengals, Mike Brown, in a statement. “He was reliable and productive as a player, and very popular among his teammates. They all liked and saw him as a dear friend. We are deeply sad for his death.”
Johnson appeared in 81 games for the Bengals from 2001 to 2007. He began all games for Cincinnati in 2004 and ran for 1,454 yards and 12 touchdowns on his way to his team Lone Pro Bowl. That began a series of three consecutive years in which he ran for at least 1,000 yards.
The Cincinnati Bengals corridor (32) Rudi Johnson faces the San Diego Chargers at the Paul Brown stadium on November 12, 2006. (Matthew Emmons/USA Today Sports)
TMZ Sports First reported Johnson’s death. The police told him to the departure that he died for suicide just after midnight on Tuesday.
