How does a NFL player become homeless and have to live life on the streets? It probably happens more than you think as players run through their money quickly, especially if making it to the NFL poor. How many times have you heard the story about professional athletes spending all their money on hookers, blow, and fast cars? What about the players that are always on the bubble in the sport fighting tooth and nails trying just to make a roster spot and being paid the minimum. In the game of football, how many concussions can mess with your brain after playing the rough sport for decades? How many military soldiers take on life after war on the streets suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)? When former Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman Kevin Johnson came to those crossroads in his life after football, he had to live the lonely life on the streets hoping you can find 3 square meals a day or a cot to sleep on if you were lucky. Many times you have used up all your lifelines at this point like family or friends. For the homeless, a good day may be finding that cot at a church or mission to crash on. Especially a cold night. Is death a good way to get out of living life on the streets? I think nobody wants to end things by being stabbed and taking a lump on your head with some kind of make shift weapon. This is what happened to Kevin Johnson, found dead in a homeless encampment along the LA River, most likely under the bridge. Most common sense suggests a homeless person has nothing worth taking. Police detectives think Johnson has been a victim of a serial killer. In the same area the police have found other homeless people with the same MO being stabbed to death along with blunt head trauma.

Kevin Johnson was killed this year in the month of January in LA where he grew up. He went to college & played football at Texas Southern. Johnson played along side Michael Strahan at Texas Southern who would have a Hall of Fame career with the Giants. Johnson had to have been a pretty good player to be drafted in the 4th round of the 1993 NFL draft 86th overall by the New England Patriots. Just because you were drafted does not automatically benefit in the big pay day. Johnson was not a first round pick which teams will give multiple chances rather than be picked later in the draft. Johnson did not make it on the Patriots as he was cut. He did not give up on his NFL dream as he tried to latch on to the Minnesota Vikings practice squad. He was eventually cut by them and the Oakland Raiders after that. It took Johnson until 1995 to play a game in the NFL as he was picked off waivers by the Philadelphia Eagles. In ’95 he played in 11 games and started 1 of those games. He tallied up six sacks & 19 tackles. He forced a fumble. Had a fumble recovery for his only touchdown of his career which was for 37 yards.

In the same season he played in two preseason games for the Eagles. He registered a tackle and assisted on another one. Johnson returned to the Eagles in his second season and played in 12 games in ’96. He started 5 games in year two with the Eagles. The Eagles would cut ties with the big massive specimen. In 1997 he played for the Raiders and saw action in 15 games. By 1998 he was released by Oakland. He finished his NFL career with 54 tackles and 7 sacks, 1 forced fumble, and the fumble recovery for his only touchdown.

Do you remember when quarterback Kurt Warner used Arena Football as a stepping stone to get into the NFL? This was not quite the case for Kevin Johnson as he still needed to eat and pay the bills after his NFL career at the time came to an end. He landed a team in Arena Football called the Orlando Predators in 1998. Back then it was an Ironman style of football where you played both ways. Johnson had to adapt to playing offensive line and then play his normal defensive position. Then adapting to Arena Football is another challenge for players. Playing football inside on half of a normal 100 yard style field you played on your entire career from Pop Warner and beyond. In his first season, Johnson’s Predators won the Arena Bowl vs another Florida power house called the Tampa Bay Storm. In 1999 the Predators would lose in the Arena bowl vs the Albany Firebirds. In 2000 he would sign with the LA Avengers and then he suffered a season ending injury. In 2001 he would come back to the Avengers and have the faith in another trip to the injured reserve. By July of 2001 Johnson was suspended by the league & the reason for the suspension has never been released.

I do not know what happened next in Kevin Johnson’s life after the gridiron came to an end. Football injuries could linger which means popping pain medication becomes your new sport during the day. The countless nights you probably can’t sleep. What was going on inside his mindset? Could have been dark & twisted with depression setting in. Thoughts about what happened in his entire life just flashed by him. Add concussions to the mix as some of these players can’t adapt to life after football just because their head is not right. On January 21st, the LA County medical examiner rules Johnson’s death a homicide. Being stabbed in your sleep is just a guess and being hit in the head to see the outcast of society by the world living together is you last thing you see on Earth. Terrible!! In the location in LA where it occurred on the 1300 block East 120th street from October of 2025 to this year, the police have counted 4 bodies. Four victims living in these encampments found dead stabbed to death. Imagine this is not the work of a serial killer like Ted Bundy or John Wayne Gacy. Those were guys that planned well and lived in society hidden from their demons and acted like normal citizens. You would think the suspect would be another homeless person dealing with all kinds of mindset problems. The world can be a horrible place. How people get there you would think could have been prevented like Johnson’s death. The signs are usually there. The male species is stubborn in general as many will not ask for help. It sucks people go down these roads. People that have plenty of opportunities in life but just don’t fully take advantage of them. When the mindset becomes unhinged, these things can easily happen. It is hard to slay your inner demons. Hopefully a story like that can prevent guys like Johnson from going down the same path. Hopefully the LA Police department can find this killer and put them behind bars where they belong. Homeless people should not be easy prey even though it could be one of their own.