Kevin Turner (running back)

Career

Turner attended Prattville High School in Prattville, Alabama. Playing for the school's football team, Turner was a member of the 1984 Alabama state champions. He enrolled at the University of Alabama, where he played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide. With the Crimson Tide, Turner was regarded as a strong blocker, supporting running backs Siran Stacy and Bobby Humphrey. He also rushed for 4.7 yards per carry and had 95 receptions.

The New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL) selected him in the third round of the 1992 NFL draft. Turner played for New England for three seasons, and then played for five seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Personal life

Turner and his first wife, Joyce Labbe of Auburn, Maine, had three children: Nolan, Natalie, and Cole. They divorced . Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney was a teammate of Turner's in college.

Health issues

In June 2010, Turner was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), and agreed to donate his brain and spinal cord when he died.

Turner's life with ALS was documented in the music video for the song "Journey On" by Ty Herndon. Turner and his two children appeared in the music video along with Herndon. In 2012, Jon Frankel of HBO worked with Turner to create the documentary film American Man, describing Turner's life, especially his battle with ALS.

On March 24, 2016, Turner died in his home in Vestavia Hills, Alabama. On November 3 of that year, Boston University Brain CTE Center announced that Turner had a severe case of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which led to his death. Multiple news outlets reported that CTE killed Turner, not ALS.

The following day, the Boston University School of Medicine posted on its Facebook Page, "The VA-BU-CLF Brain Bank issued the following statement: To clarify conflicting media reports, #KevinTurner died of #ALS. ALS is a clinical diagnosis defined by the loss of movement through the degeneration of motor neuron cells. There are many known causes of ALS, specifically genetic and environmental causes, but most ALS cases are of idiopathic, or unknown, origin. By studying his brain, researchers at the VA, Boston University School of Medicine and Concussion Legacy Foundation discovered that the cause of Kevin Turner’s ALS was motor neuron cell death triggered by CTE, which is a pathological diagnosis. His clinical diagnosis remains ALS."

Turner is one of at least 345 NFL players to be diagnosed after death with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is caused by repeated hits to the head.

References

References

1. Roney, Marty. (January 17, 2016). "Prattville turns out to support Turner". [[Montgomery Advertiser]].
2. "1992 NFL Draft Listing".
3. Stephenson, Creg. (March 24, 2016). "Kevin Turner, 1969–2016: Former Alabama, NFL fullback known for toughness, versatility". AL.com.
4. (June 21, 2016). "#24 Nolan Turner".
5. [http://gridirongreats.org/index.php/american-man-kevin-turners-price-for-gridiron-glory/ American Man: Kevin Turner's Price for Gridiron Glory] {{Webarchive. link. (May 12, 2015 at Gridiron Greats assistance fund.)
6. (March 24, 2016). "Fomer [sic] NFL, Alabama player Kevin Turner dies after ALS battle". ESPN.com.
7. "BU Announces Former NFL Player Kevin Turner Had Advanced CTE {{!}} School of Medicine".
8. Ken Belson. (November 3, 2016). "Lead Plaintiff in N.F.L. Concussion Settlement Had Advanced C.T.E.". The New York Times.
9. "Former NFL player Kevin Turner's death caused by CTE, not ALS". Washington Post.
10. "Former Patriot Kevin Turner died from CTE, not ALS - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com.
11. "The VA-BU-CLF Brain Bank issued the... - Boston University School of Medicine {{!}} Facebook".
12. "The driving force behind Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)".
13. Ken Belson and Benjamin Mueller. (June 20, 2023). "Collective Force of Head Hits, Not Just the Number of Them, Increases Odds of C.T.E. The largest study of chronic traumatic encephalopathy to date found that the cumulative force of head hits absorbed by players in their careers is the best predictor of future brain disease.". [[The New York Times]].