Johnson died after falling from the balcony of an apartment building in Sunny Isles, Florida, on September 22, police say. Johnson reportedly leapt from his apartment balcony after “struggling with mental health issues and the possible effects of CTE that he could not overcome.”
Now, audio of several 911 calls alerting police to the incident has been released.
“It’s building in front of me, I just saw someone jump off the building … They jumped off the balcony into the pool,” one caller said, TMZ reported.
“There was multiple people on the balcony … Somebody was screaming, saying, ‘Help me,’” the caller said, adding, “I looked over and somebody was screaming ‘Help me, help me!’ screaming at the top of their longs, so I looked over and I saw somebody just completely falling off the balcony.”
Another caller heard the calls for help and then also heard a loud noise after.
“I just heard people screaming and a huge … bang,” the second caller said. “I heard people screaming for help in the pool … I heard a lot of screaming … And then a huge boom,” the caller told a 911 operator.
In all, police received five 911 calls during the September 22 incident.
Johnson was pronounced dead at the scene when first responders arrived, and police determined that there was “no foul play suspected” and that the former player’s death was “unequivocally deemed a suicide.”
Johnson was the 100th overall pick by the Bengals in the 2001 NFL Draft out of Auburn, where he ran for 1.567 yards and 13 touchdowns.
After spending a few years on the bench with the Bengals, Johnson became a standout in his third season, running for 957 yards and nine touchdowns on 215 carries. Over his next three seasons, he exceeded 1,300 yards per season.
He played for Cincinnati for seven of his eight-year NFL career and spent his final season with Detroit in 2008.
Upon the player’s death, Bengals President Mike Brown memorialized Johnson as an “excellent running back,” and added, “He was dependable and productive as a player and very popular among his teammates. Everyone liked him and saw him as a dear friend. We are deeply saddened by his passing.”
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