Ray Easterling
{{Short description|American football player (1949–2012)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2012}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
|name=Ray Easterling
|image=
|number=32
|position=Safety
|birth_date={{Birth date|1949|9|3}}
|birth_place=Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
|death_date = {{Death date and age|2012|4|19|1949|9|3}}
|death_place = Richmond, Virginia, U.S.
|height_ft=6
|height_in=0
|weight_lbs=195
|high_school=Collegiate School
|college=Richmond
|draftyear=1972
|draftround=9
|draftpick=223
|pastteams=
- Atlanta Falcons ({{NFL Year|1972|1979}})
|statlabel1=Interceptions
|statvalue1=13
|statlabel2=Fumble recoveries
|statvalue2=6
|statlabel3=Sacks
|statvalue3=2.5
|pfr=EastRa20
}}
Charles Ray Easterling (September 3, 1949 – April 19, 2012{{cite web |author=Greg Bluestein |url=http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/47122628 |title=Former NFL safety Easterling dies at 62 |publisher=Nbcsports.msnbc.com |date=April 20, 2012 |access-date=April 21, 2012 }}{{Dead link|date=November 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}) was an American football safety in the National Football League (NFL). He graduated from the University of Richmond in 1972 and was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the ninth round of the 1972 NFL draft.[http://www.nfl.com/player/rayeasterling/2513421/profile NFL Profile]
Career
Ray Easterling played 8 seasons for the Atlanta Falcons as a free safety, strong safety and occasional kickoff returner. He retired after the 1979 season, having appeared in 83 games and recording 13 interceptions and 6 fumble recoveries.{{cite news|title=Charles Ray Easterling|url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/E/EastRa20.htm|publisher= Profootball|access-date=January 3, 2014}}
Legal
In 2011, along with several other NFL players, including two-time Super Bowl champion Jim McMahon, Easterling filed a federal lawsuit in Philadelphia, against the NFL over its handling of concussion-related injuries. Unlike a similar suit filed in Los Angeles a month earlier, this suit is the first to seek class-action status and potentially include many other players. Attorney Larry E. Coben, representing the plaintiffs, stated, "The big issue, for us, is they were told for decades to lead with their heads. The NFL would never admit that there's any correlation (to later health problems)."[https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/6874906/jim-mcmahon-other-players-sue-nfl-concussions Players accuse NFL of negligence]
Death
Easterling died on April 19, 2012, at the age of 62. His death was ruled a suicide.{{cite news|last=Gleeson|first=Scott|title=Concussions suit plaintiff Ray Easterling commits suicide |url=http://content.usatoday.com/communities/thehuddle/post/2012/04/former-falcon-ray-easterling-found-dead-ruled-a-suicide-/1|access-date=January 3, 2014|newspaper=USA TODAY|date=April 20, 2012}}{{cite news|last=Perez|first=A.J.|title=Easterling death ruled a suicide |url=http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/Ray-Easterling-death-ruled-suicide-Atlanta-Falcons-041912 |access-date= January 3, 2014 |newspaper=USA TODAY |date=April 20, 2012}} Easterling had clinical depression resulting from dementia having "lost the ability to focus, organise his thoughts and relate to people", with the dementia itself the result of the lifetime of head injuries during Easterling's career.{{cite news |title=Autopsy: Former Falcons safety Ray Easterling had brain disease associated with concussions |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/autopsy-former-falcons-safety-ray-easterling-had-brain-disease-associated-with-concussions/ |access-date=November 16, 2020 |work=CBS News |date=July 27, 2012}}
On July 27, 2012, Easterling's autopsy report was released. The autopsy by the medical examiner in Richmond, VA found signs "consistent with the findings of chronic traumatic encephalopathy" (CTE), a progressive degenerative disease that can be caused by concussions and has been linked to multiple blows to the head. The examiner determined that it was the underlying major condition that accounted for Easterling's difficulties.{{cite web|title=Football Player Who Killed Himself Had Brain Disease|last=Tierney| first = Mike| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/27/sports/football/ray-easterling-autopsy-found-signs-of-brain-disease-cte.html|work=New York Times|date= 2012-06-26 | access-date=2014-01-04}}{{cite web|title=Autopsy report confirms former Falcons safety Easterling had brain disease|url=http://www.startribune.com/sports/164025366.html|publisher=Star Tribune|date=2012-07-27|access-date=2014-01-04|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140103192605/http://www.startribune.com/sports/164025366.html|archive-date=January 3, 2014|df=mdy-all}} He was one of at least 345 NFL players to be diagnosed after death with this disease.{{cite news |title=The driving force behind Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) |website=Concussion Legacy Foundation |url=https://concussionfoundation.org/cte-resources/subconcussive-impacts |access-date=July 2, 2023 |archive-date=July 2, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230702123543/https://concussionfoundation.org/cte-resources/subconcussive-impacts |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |author=Ken Belson and Benjamin Mueller |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/20/sports/football/cte-study-concussions-brain-tackle.html |title=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. |work= The New York Times |date=June 20, 2023 |access-date=July 2, 2023 }}
Easterling's wife of 36 years, Mary Ann Easterling, stated that she would fight to continue the lawsuit despite her husband's death, and will urge the league to establish a fund for players like her husband who suffered traumatic brain injuries from their playing days.{{cite web|last=Bluestein|first=Greg|title=Ex-Falcon Easterling dies at 62|url=http://www.profootballweekly.com/2012/04/20/ex-falcon-easterling-dies-at-62|publisher=ProFootballWeekly|access-date=April 22, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120907070856/http://www.profootballweekly.com/2012/04/20/ex-falcon-easterling-dies-at-62|archive-date=September 7, 2012|df=mdy-all}}
Further reading
- {{cite journal |last=Sheppard |first=Whit |date=September 2012 |title=He Paid the Price |url=http://www.richmondmagazine.com/articles/he-paid-the-price-09-03-2012.html |journal=Richmond }}
References
{{reflist|30em}}
{{Atlanta Falcons 1972 draft navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Easterling, Ray}}
Category:Players of American football from Richmond, Virginia
Category:Players of American football with chronic traumatic encephalopathy
Category:American football safeties
Category:Richmond Spiders football players
Category:Atlanta Falcons players
Category:Suicides by firearm in Virginia