Former Eagles Player Found Stabbed To Death: Reports

PHILADELPHIA, PA — A former Philadelphia Eagles player was found dead at a homeless encampment in Los Angeles early Wednesday due to multiple stab wounds and trauma to his head, according to authorities and multiple media reports.

Kevin Johnson, 55, appeared in 23 games for the Birds in the 1995 and 1996 seasons. He left the NFL in 1997 after just three years of play.

Johnson was found at about 8 a.m. on Jan. 22 on the 1300 block of East 120th Street, Fox News and Newsweek reported.

Reports indicate that authorities believe Johnson was living in the encampment.

His death is being investigated as a homicide, but it's not known what may have led up to the incident.

NFL fans expressed shock and sadness at the news.

"I never thought for the life of me that could happen to an NFL player. What happened to the brotherhood?," one shared on X. "Tons of millionaires in the NFL. NOBODY HELPED!"

Friends told ABC that Johnson had health problems later in life that led to him living on the streets, and that some of his issues could have been caused by CTE, the neurological disease caused by head trauma that has become increasingly common in NFL players.

"They are most likely correct," Chris Nowinksi, a neuroscientist and the the CEO of a CTE organization, added on X. "We need to keep talking about CTE."

A native of Los Angeles, Johnson played college football at Texas Southern before he was drafted by the New England Patriots 86th overall in the 1993 NFL draft. He never appeared in a game for them, however, and was picked up by the Birds ahead of the 1995 season. He played his final year in the NFL in 1997 with the Oakland Raiders, and appeared in pro independent league games as late as 2001, according to Football Reference.