Dwayne Haskins, the latest in the list of tragic deaths in NFL history

There are many NFL players who have died under tragic circumstances, a list that has been joined by quarterback Dwayne Haskins, who was about to begin his fourth season in the league and second with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Just like Haskins, other successful names in the NFL have lost their lives either after deciding to commit suicide, being victims of murder or suffering serious consequences of their time as football players. Here we remember some of those players.

Mike Webster

'Iron Mike' Webster died in 2002 at the age of 50 from a heart attack and later became the first former NFL player diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which has made him a symbol of head injuries in the league and player safety. Multiple concussions during his career damaged his frontal lobe, causing cognitive dysfunction, according to his doctors.

Junior Seau

The 12-time Pro Bowler and 1994 NFL Man of the Year was found dead by his girlfriend with a gunshot wound to the chest in his Oceanside home. His supposed suicide note had only the lyrics he scribbled from his favorite country song, "Who I Ain't," co-written by his friend Jamie Paulin and describing a man who regrets the person he has become.

Demaryius Thomas

The Super Bowl 50 winner and Denver Broncos legend was found dead in his home on December 9, 2021, weeks shy of his 34th birthday. He lost his life due to a seizure caused by complications from injuries he sustained in a car accident in 2019.

Sean Taylor

The legendary Redskins safety lost his life when he was shot in his leg during a home burglary, severing his femoral artery and causing his death a day later. His wife and year-and-a-half-old daughter were unharmed.

Aaron Hernandez

Hernandez, who during his life was involved in several extra-sporting problems, was serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for the murder of Odin Lloyd and was also charged for the double homicide of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado in 2012.

However, in April 2017, five days after Hernandez was acquitted of the double homicide of De Abreu and Furtado, he was found hanging with sheets from his cell window. Some time later, it was revealed that the former Patriots tight end came out as gay to his family, which would have influenced his decision after growing up under an anti-gay culture.

Phillip Adams

Worse was the story of Phillip Adams, the former San Francisco 79ers player, who ended up taking his own life. The motive was the murder of up to 6 people (including two minors) in South Carolina.