How Stanley Wilson Jr. Went From NFL Player to Dead in a Psych Ward

2 years ago 488

Photo Illustration by Erin O’Flynn/The Daily Beast/Library of Congress and Sheldon Breiner/Stanford University

Stanley Wilson Jr. was what his coaches at Stanford University called a “glue guy.”

Wilson, a talented cornerback who went on to play for the Detroit Lions before an injury cut short his career, brought a true sense of cohesion to the team, according to A.J. Christoff, who coached Wilson in college in the early aughts.

“He was never a separate entity,” Christoff, a former defensive coordinator and secondary coach for the Stanford Cardinals, told The Daily Beast. “He was always a team player. And the players that were in the defensive backfield [with him] were very fond of him.”