Rudi Johnson Dies at Age 45, Former NFL Pro Bowl RB Played with Bengals and Lions

Former NFL running back Rudi Johnson died Tuesday at age 45, TMZ Sports reported Tuesday.

Police told TMZ that Johnson died by suicide.

Johnson starred for Auburn before the Cincinnati Bengals drafted him in 2001. He played seven seasons with the Bengals and one with the Detroit Lions before retiring after the 2008 campaign.

Johnson was named SEC Player of the Year in 2000 after leading the conference with 1,567 rushing yards in 12 games during his single season with Auburn.

He went on to rush for more than 1,300 yards in three straight seasons for the Bengals between 2004 and 2006, earning his first Pro Bowl nod after rushing for 1,454 yards in 2004.

The running back recorded a career-high 1,458 rushing yards the following campaign, a total which still stands in Cincinnati as a single-season franchise record.

Johnson retired having played 95 NFL games with 63 career starts, amassing a total of 5,979 rushing yards that ranks today as 110th on the league's all-time leaderboard.

He added 676 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 113 receptions through his eight seasons in the league.

His mother, Janice Johnson, said she was inspired by him to launch the Rudi Johnson Foundation in 2005.

Johnson would have been 46 years old on Oct. 1. TMZ wrote that he "had been recently struggling with mental health issues and the possible effects of CTE."

According to TMZ, a family source said Johnson "was doing everything he could to help people on and off the field" prior to his death.