- Former NFL defensive tackle Kevin Johnson was found dead in Los Angeles at the age of 55.
- Police are investigating Johnson’s death as a homicide, citing blunt head trauma and stab wounds.
- Johnson was reportedly homeless and living in an encampment where his body was discovered.
- He played for the Philadelphia Eagles and Oakland Raiders during his NFL career in the 1990s.
Kevin Johnson, a former defensive tackle who had a brief NFL career largely spent with the Philadelphia Eagles and Oakland Raiders, was found dead in Los Angeles on Jan. 22, according to Newsweek. Johnson was 55.
Police are investigating Johnson’s death as a homicide, according to a record from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. The record cites ‘blunt head trauma and stab wounds’ as Johnson’s cause of death and listed his place of death as a homeless encampment.
‘Unfortunately it appears he was homeless,’ Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lt. Steve De Jong said, according to Newsweek. ‘It looks like he was probably living there.’
USA TODAY Sports has reached out to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department for confirmation of Johnson’s death and the department’s homicide investigation.
Johnson, a Los Angeles native, played college football at Los Angeles Harbor College and Texas Southern before the New England Patriots drafted him in the fourth round of the 1993 NFL Draft. After the Patriots released Johnson that August, the defensive tackle made brief stops in Minnesota and Oakland as a practice squad member and training camp participant before the Eagles claimed him off of waivers in August 1995.
Johnson played two seasons for the Eagles, appearing in 23 games and starting six of them in the regular season with 54 tackles, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery, which he also returned for a touchdown. He also appeared in two playoff games in 1995. Philadelphia suspended, then released Johnson in 1996 after he missed a practice, according to Pro Football Reference and the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Johnson signed with the Raiders the following April, and he appeared in 15 games for Oakland, tallying seven tackles.
After Johnson’s release from the Raiders in 1998, he played four years in the Arena Football League, winning an ArenaBowl with the Orlando Predators in 1998.