Ex-NFL Player’s Cause of Death Revealed

Former Detroit Lions cornerback Stanley Wilson Jr. died of pulmonary thromboembolism at a mental hospital in February, TMZ reported.

Wilson Jr., who died at age 40, suddenly collapsed at the Metropolitan State Hospital in Los Angeles County on Feb. 1 and never regained consciousness.

Though Wilson Jr.’s family has brought legal action against LA county, claiming Wilson Jr. died after being beaten by law enforcement, an autopsy report obtained by TMZ revealed he died naturally from pulmonary thromboembolism, likely caused by a blood clot in a deep vein.

Photos of wounds to Wilson Jr.’s head seemed to indicate he was either kicked or stomped, while images of ligature marks on his wrist showed he was restrained during the alleged attack, lawyer John Carpenter said.

The family is suing for more than $45 million in damages, as Carpenter argues in the court filings that the county “has grossly misrepresented the cause and circumstances of Stanley Wilson Jr.’s death,” TMZ said.

Wilson Jr.’s mother, Dr. D. Pulane Lucas, said the county informed her that Wilson Jr. had collapsed and fallen out of a chair during intake at the mental hospital before he died.

The former NFL player was arrested last September for breaking into a $30 million LA home, bathing in an outdoor property and raiding the property.

It was the second time he had broken into that home and the latest episode in a series of home invasions.

In June 2016, Wilson Jr. was shot in the abdomen after an attempted break-in at a home in Portland while he was naked. He was arrested in both January and February 2017 in Portland for walking around a neighborhood naked on two separate occasions.

Wilson Jr., the son of former Bengals running back Stanley Wilson Sr., played two seasons in the NFL after he was selected in the third round by the Lions in 2005. He recorded 89 total tackles and his career ended after an Achilles tear in an exhibition game against the Giants in 2008.