Gene Reynard Atkins (born November 22, 1964) is a former American football safety in the National Football League (NFL) who played for the New Orleans Saints and Miami Dolphins from 1987 to 1996. He was selected by the Saints in the seventh round of the 1987 NFL draft.^[1] He played previously for Florida A&M and James S. Rickards High School, both in Tallahassee.^[2] He is the father of Geno Atkins, former NFL defensive tackle. He was featured on HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel in a story about former football players who are suffering from head injuries that happened during their playing time. In the story, it was said that Atkins is suffering from the early stages of dementia. He was featured in the movie Head Games, which was released in 2012.^[3]