Former Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Kevin Johnson died at age 55 of “blunt head trauma and stab wounds,” the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has determined. His death is being investigated as a homicide.
Johnson was found dead on Wednesday, January 21, at a homeless encampment in Los Angeles after officers responded to a report of an unconscious man. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to local station ABC6.
“Unfortunately it appears he was homeless,” Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lt. Steve De Jong told Newsweek on Thursday, January 22. “It looks like he was probably living there.”
Johnson played in 38 NFL games across three seasons. He was with the Eagles from 1995 to 1996, before joining the Oakland Raiders for 1997. After that, he caught on in the Arena Football League with the Orlando Predators and L.A. Avengers.
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Johnson’s friends told ABC6 that Johnson was suffering from ‘health issues,” which led to him living on the streets. Some believed him to be suffering from CTE, a degenerative brain disease caused by trauma to the head that has become common among former NFL players. CTE, however, cannot yet be diagnosed in living patients.
“He was my best friend. I was best man at his wedding,” Johnson’s friend, Bruce Todd, said. “Great guy, fun-loving. The community is going to miss him.”
CTE has long been an issue in football at all levels. A 2023 study from JAMA Neurology revealed that CTE was found in 41 percent of 152 deceased individuals under 30 who had participated in contact sports.
CTE was in the spotlight again in July 2025 when a gunman identified as Shane Tamura killed five people, including himself, in a New York City building in which the NFL had an office. A suicide note found in the shooter’s pocket said that he believed he was suffering from CTE due to playing football in high school.
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“He seemed to have blamed the NFL,” former New York mayor Eric Adams said at the time. “The NFL headquarters was located in the building, and he mistakenly went up the wrong elevator bank.”
The New York City medical examiner confirmed in September 2025 that Tamura was suffering from CTE.
The New England Patriots selected Johnson in the fourth round of the 1993 NFL Draft out of Texas Southern University, where he was teammates with former defensive end and current Good Morning America cohost Michael Strahan.
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Johnson never played a down for the Patriots, who released him that August. He then spent time with the Minnesota Vikings and the Raiders, though did not play in a game for either team before the Eagles claimed him in August 1995.
The best stretch of Johnson’s short-lived NFL career came early in 1995 when he recorded two sacks against the New York Giants, and the next week recovered a fumble against the St. Louis Rams, returning it 37 yards for a touchdown.
The Eagles released him in December 1996 and he returned to the Raiders for the 1997 season, in which he recorded seven solo tackles.
