John Grimsley
No. 59
Position:Linebacker
Personal information
Born:(1962-02-25)February 25, 1962
Canton, Ohio, U.S.
Died:February 6, 2008(2008-02-06) (aged 45)
Missouri City, Texas, U.S.
Career information
High school:McKinley
College:Kentucky
NFL Draft:1984 / Round: 6 / Pick: 141
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Sacks:2
Interceptions:1
Games:133
Player stats at NFL.com

John Glenn Grimsley (February 25, 1962 – February 6, 2008) was an American linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) who played for seven seasons for the Houston Oilers.

Grimsley was born in Canton, Ohio, where he graduated from McKinley High School. He played college football at Kentucky under coach Jerry Claiborne.

Grimsley was selected to the Pro Bowl after the 1988 season. In 1991, he was traded to the Miami Dolphins and stayed there until he retired in 1993.[1]

He died of an accidental gunshot wound at his home in Missouri City, Texas on February 6, 2008.[2] After his death, he was found to have chronic traumatic encephalopathy as a result of repeated hits to the head during his football career.[3] He was one of at least 345 NFL players to be diagnosed after death with this degenerative disease.[4][5]

References

  1. ^ "Grimsley killed in apparent gun cleaning accident". Associated Press. 2008-02-07. Archived from the original on 2008-02-08. Retrieved 2008-02-07.
  2. ^ "Ex-Houston Oiler dies in shooting accident". WFAA-TV. 2008-02-06. Archived from the original on June 11, 2008. Retrieved 2009-10-25.
  3. ^ Schwarz, Alan (2008-09-23). "12 Athletes Leaving Brains to Concussion Study". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-10-25.
  4. ^ "The driving force behind Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)". Concussion Legacy Foundation. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  5. ^ 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. Retrieved July 2, 2023.


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