In some sad news out of Alabama, it’s being reported that former NFL player Benny Perrin has died at the age of 57 after committing suicide.
“Morgan County Coroner Jeff Chunn said he pronounced Perrin dead at the Decatur Morgan Hospital emergency room at 1:50 p.m. The death has been ruled self-inflicted, Chunn said.”
Selected by the then St. Louis Cardinals in the third round of the 1982 NFL Draft, Perrin would go on to play for the team for four seasons, earning a spot as a Pro Bowl alternate in 1984. A safety, Perrin also played under the legendary Paul “Bear” Bryant at Alabama from 1978-81.
The cause of death itself is not yet known, but it’s important to note that Perrin joined in with 4,500 other former NFL players to sue the league over its handling of the concussion issue. The plaintiffs in this case were awarded $765 million, some of that going to the now late Perrin himself.
He had previously talked about living through symptoms that are often associated with Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) — an affliction that multiple NFL players are living through. It’s a degenerative brain disease that has in the past been linked to the suicide of former NFL players, the great Junior Seau included.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Perrin’s family and the entire Decatur community following his death.