DEVASTATING 911 calls from Rudi Johnson’s death have been released.
Former Cincinnati Bengals running back Rudi Johnson died after committing suicide last week.
Former NFL star Rudi Johnson died by suicide last week[/caption]
The former Cincinnati Bengals star running back played eight seasons in the NFL[/caption]
Johnson was 45 years old at the time of his death.
Multiple people called 911 to report “somebody screaming” before Johnson took his life at an apartment building in Florida, per police audio received by TMZ.
One caller told the 911 dispatcher she saw an individual, later identified as Johnson, fall from a building near her residence in Sunny Isles, Florida, at around 11:00 pm ET on September 22.
“It’s building in front of me, I just saw someone jump off the building … They jumped off the balcony into the pool,” the caller said.
When asked if she had heard anything before the incident, the caller said, “I heard somebody screaming.”
“[They were] saying, ‘Help! Help! Don’t do this. Don’t do this. Somebody help me. Somebody help me.’ It was a woman.”
Another 911 caller can be heard in police audio saying he heard a similar exchange.
“I heard a lot of screaming,” the second caller said. “And then a huge like — boom.”
Five people called the police to ask for help for Johnson.
First responders arrived at the scene just minutes after the calls were made, according to police.
But Johnson was pronounced dead after he was reushed to the hospital, per TMZ.
A spokesperson for the Miami Dade Sheriff’s Office told TMZ, “There’s no foul play suspected,” and the matter “has been unequivocally deemed a suicide.”
The outlet reported that Johnson was “struggling with mental health issues and the possible effects of CTE that he could not overcome.”
Johnson spent most of his eight-year NFL career as a member of the Bengals.
Johnson earned a 2004 Pro Bowl selection[/caption]
He played in 81 games, starting 59 of them.
Johnson had three consecutive years where he posted 1,300 yards and 12 touchdowns.
He earned a Pro Bowl selection in 2004.
Johnson’s loved ones held a memorial ceremony on Miami Beach on Wednesday, which would’ve been his 46th birthday.
He established the Rudi Johnson Foundation in 2005.
“Mr. Johnson wanted to share his blessings with family and children in order to enhance ans (sic) stabilize their lives and to support learning opportunities for children that may not have been possible otherwise,” an article from mmhmf.org about Johnson’s mother, Janice, said.
If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text Crisis Text Line at 741741.
