Stanley Wilson Jr., a former cornerback for the Detroit Lions, passed away this month after collapsing at the Metropolitan State Hospital in Los Angeles County. He was 40.
Wilson, the son of former Bengals running back Stanley Wilson Sr., was reportedly moved to the medical centre on February 1 after spending time in county jail under police custody following a vandalism charge in August.
Who is Stanley Wilson Sr, father of Stanley Wilson Jr?
Stanley Tobias Wilson Sr., a former professional football running back for the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals, was born on August 23, 1961, in the United States. He was chosen by the Bengals in the 1983 NFL Draft’s ninth round while a student at the University of Oklahoma.
Wilson played high school football at Banning High School in Los Angeles, where he teamed up with Freeman McNeil in the backfield. In 1978 and 1979, he was named the 4A Player of the Year.
Wilson’s career was hampered by his cocaine addiction and was primarily employed as a fullback. Because he broke the league’s drug policy, he was suspended for the entirety of the 1985 and 1987 seasons.
The most well-known instance of Wilson’s relapse into cocaine use occurred the night before the Bengals’ game against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XXIII in 1989. Wilson informed a number of his teammates that he needed to grab his playbook before their final pregame meeting.
Jim Anderson, his position coach, discovered him in the restroom 20 minutes later, still high on cocaine. He had to be removed from the Bengals’ roster out of necessity. Due to Wilson’s third infraction of the NFL’s drug policy, the league permanently suspended him.
Sam Wyche, a former head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals, asserted that the Bengals’ defeat by the 49ers may have been influenced by Wilson’s absence. That evening, the Joe Robbie Stadium field was a little muddy, but Wilson typically performed well in these conditions. Wilson had two touchdowns in the team’s two playoff games before to the Super Bowl and finished the regular season as the third-leading rusher on the squad.
Wilson spent a number of stints in and out of rehab in the years following his relapse and exile. He was found guilty in 1999 of stealing goods worth US$130,000 from a Beverly Hills, California residence in order to feed his habit. For breaking and entering, he received a 22-year term in the state prison at Lancaster, California. Wilson’s attorney claimed during his trial that Wilson has bipolar disorder.
