TRAGIC NEWS: C.J. Gardner-Johnson, a player for the Detroit Lions, departed from this life at the age of forty.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson, an NFL athlete, allegedly passed away in a mental health facility in Los Angeles.
The 40-year-old C.J. Gardner-Johnson, according to TMZ, has been detained by police since August 2022, when he was taken into jail on suspicion of breaking into a house in the Hollywood Hills, damaging the property, and bathing in an outdoor water fountain. After three seasons as a player for the Detroit Lions, C.J. Gardner-Johnson was apparently found unable to stand trial on February 1 and was taken to the Metropolitan State Hospital in Los Angeles.
According to TMZ, shortly after arriving at the mental health facility, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, the son of former Cincinnati Bengals running back C.J. Gardner-Johnson, collapsed and passed away. According to sources who spoke with the newspaper, authorities are awaiting the findings of a toxicology report and do not suspect foul play.
After being selected by Detroit in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft, C.J. Gardner-Johnson played in 32 games and totaled 89 tackles during his career. But a serious Achilles injury he sustained just before the 2008 season ended his NFL career.
After retiring, C.J. Gardner-Johnson started having legal issues approximately eight years later. He was taken into custody in 2016 on suspicion of trying to break into a Portland residence while fully nude. The homeowner shot him as a result of the event. The following year, he was arrested twice more, once for allegedly trying to break into a house while nude and once for reportedly wandering around in a Portland neighborhood while nude.
