American Footballer Shootings: Could Repeated Head Injuries Turn Some Players Into Violent Criminals?

A shooting spree in South Carolina, which saw five people murdered before the gunman took his own life, isn’t all that shocking these days – such is society’s ambivalence to gun violence in America.

But when the identity of the shooter was revealed to be that of Phillip Adams, a former NFL star, that was when people started to sit up and take notice.

The 32-year-old tragically gunned down the five victims, including two children, in the town of Rock Hill, before turning his weapon on himself in the midst of a police shootout.

At the time of writing, it is not believed that Adams personally knew any of the victims – although it has been rumoured that Dr Robert Lesslie, one of the deceased, had previously treated the footballer. No motive has yet to be determined.

It seems, sadly, as though Adams’ spree was simply the mindless act of a severely disturbed individual – even sadder still, this is not the first time that an American footballer has embarked on such a heinous crime.

Who Was Phillip Adams?

For more than six seasons Phillip Adams plied his trade in the NFL, appearing in 78 games for the likes of the San Francisco 49ers and the New York Jets.

Philip Adams’ NFL Career

A broken ankle during the 2010 season left Adams with a number of screws permanently in his leg, while in 2012 – stick a pin in this for later – he suffered two game-ending concussions in the space of three weeks.

His father, talking to the WNCN-TV network, told the broadcaster that he knew his son was the attacker.

“I think the football messed him up,” he said.

“He didn’t talk much and he didn’t bother nobody.”

Unfortunately, concussion and head trauma have been cited numerous times in the past as ‘cause’ when American footballers find themselves in the grip of a manic episode.

Aaron Hernandez: Murder

Aaron Hernandez’s NFL Career

Often we associate violent crime in those who have fallen on hard times at the end of their football careers, but not those in the midst of their fame.

However, Aaron Hernandez – who appeared in a Super Bowl game for the New England Patriots – was convicted of the murder of Odin Lloyd in 2013.

While Lloyd was dating the sister of Hernandez’s fiancée, the actual motive for the shooting is not known – the NFL ace was also accused, but acquitted, of a separate double murder in 2017, which was part of a now infamous Netflix documentary.

Hernandez would later commit suicide in prison, and following an autopsy he was diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a form of neurodegenerative disease that is linked to repeated, concussive blows to the head.

The family of Hernandez would later try to use the NFL, claiming the CTE diagnosis was due to their lack of care and protection. CTE is said to cause aggressive behaviours and manic-depressive thought processes, and its effects can sometimes take years to manifest themselves after the initial trauma.

Rae Carruth: Conspiracy to Murder

Rae Carruth’s NFL Career

Rae Carruth was drafted to the Carolina Panthers in 1997 and enjoyed a solid three-year career with the franchise, which followed a solid college career in Colorado.

In 2001, he was charged with and subsequently found guilty of conspiracy to murder. His girlfriend of the time, who was pregnant with his child, was shot while travelling in her car, and it was later revealed that Carruth was present at the murder attempt and even attempted to block her escape.

He was saved from the death penalty at trial, but would serve 17 years of a 24-year sentence before being released in 2018.

Travis Rudolph: Shooting

Travis Rudolph’s NFL Career

While he never really got his break in the NFL, Travis Rudolph was still a considerable talent.

He made one appearance for the New York Giants in 2017, before being added to the training roster of the Miami Dolphins a year later.

That followed a standout college career with the Florida State Seminoles, where he was the college’s leading wide receiver in 2015 and ’16.

It was in that state in which Rudolph became embroiled in a shooting in April 2020 that saw one person killed and another left seriously wounded.

Rudolph, still only 25, was charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder, and is currently in prison awaiting trial.

Tommy Kane: Stabbed Wife to Death

Tommy Kane’s NFL & CFL Career

Tommy Kane enjoyed a solid NFL career with the Seattle Seahawks, running in nine touchdowns and gaining more than 2,000 yards in a four-year stint.

But he was never a stranger to controversy off the pitch, and in 1988 he narrowly avoided jail after assaulting a police officer.

Worst was to follow in 2003 when Kane – refusing to attend a detox centre appointment – stabbed his wife to death.

The ensuing court case caused mass controversy, after the judge accepted a pela to downgrade Kane’s offence from second-degree murder to manslaughter on account of his clinical depression.

There were mass protests at the perceived lack of justice, and Kane continues to serve his 18-yer sentence.

Donovan Lynch: Killed in Police Shootout

A former University of Virginia student was killed in a shootout with police in March 2021.

Donovan Lynch played successfully as a lineman for the college in 2017 and ’18, but became involved in a situation after graduating that saw at least eight people injured in a mass shooting – Lynch lost his life.

It had been suggested that Lynch was armed and dangerous in the early police reports, however a police department report was later changed to read that a firearm was ‘found in vicinity’ after the former footballer was shot.