Ex Cincinnati Bengals Star Running Back Rudi Johnson Dies By Suicide After Battle With Mental Health

Posted • September 24, 2025: Former Cincinnati Bengals Pro Bowl running back Rudi Johnson has died. Police determined that Johnson had been battling mental health issues and took his own life. Johnson was a standout running back at Auburn and the SEC Player of the Year in 2000. He was subsequently selected by the Bengals in the fourth round of the 2001 NFL draft. He played sparingly in his first two NFL seasons, serving as a backup to four-time Pro Bowl running back Corey Dillon. Dillon missed most of the 2003 season with injuries, and Johnson took advantage of the opportunity. By the beginning of the 2004 season, Dillon had been traded, and Johnson was named as the starter. For the next three seasons, Johnson rushed for at least 1,300 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was named to the 2004 Pro Bowl. He would miss significant time due to injuries in the 2007 season, his last with the Bengals. He signed with the Detroit Lions but struggled to regain the power running style that had been his signature in Cincinnati.

He retired after eight seasons in the NFL and finished with 5,979 rushing yards, 49 rushing touchdowns, 676 receiving yards, and two receiving touchdowns. He holds the Bengals' single-season rushing record with 1,459 yards in 2005. The three seasons between 2004 and 2006 each remain in the top ten performances by a Bengals running back in team history. Rudi's struggles with mental health and his death by suicide again bring concerns of professional athletes and the long-term effects of head injuries suffered during their careers. Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is a type of traumatic brain injury thought to be caused by multiple concussions and other repeated minor head injuries over time. It's a rare and incurable disease that is more common among athletes who play contact sports, like football, and military members exposed to blast injuries. It's believed to cause depression and, in some cases, suicidal ideation.

Rudi Johson lost his battle with mental illness, but he will always be remembered as one of the best running backs in Cincinnati Bengals history. Rudi Johnson was 45 years old. (…)

• More at: Twitchy - Former Cincinnati Bengals Star Running Back Rudi Johnson Dies After Battle with Mental Health
https://twitchy.com/eric-v/2025/09/24/former-bengals-star-running-back-rudi-johnson-dies-after-battle-with-mental-health-n2419419
New York Post: Bengals ‘deeply saddened’ after Rudi Johnson’s death
https://nypost.com/2025/09/23/sports/bengals-deeply-saddened-after-rudi-johnsons-death/