Just weeks before his 39th birthday, former Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears running back Marion Barber III was found dead in his apartment by Frisco police.
According to multiple sources, police responded to a welfare check at Barber’s apartment because someone had called about a water leak coming from his apartment. Police had to force their way in and discovered Barber.
“Frisco Police responded to a welfare concern at an apartment believed to be leased by Marion Barber,” police spokesperson Joshua Lovell said. “Frisco Police along with the Collin County Medical Examiner’s Office are investigating an unattended death at the location.” Barber was 38. His birthday is June 10.
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The Cowboys released an official statement Wednesday evening: “We are heartbroken by the tragic death of Marion Barber III. Marion was an old-school, hard-nosed football player who ran with the will to win every down. He had a passion for the game and love for his coaches and teammates. Our hearts go out to Marion’s family and friends during this difficult time.”
Barber was drafted by Dallas in the fourth round of the 2005 NFL draft out of Minnesota. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2007 despite not starting a game for a 13-3 team that finished with the best record in the NFC. He led the Cowboys with 975 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns that season.
After he was released by the Cowboys following the 2010 season, he spent one year with the Bears. He finished his career with 4,780 yards and 53 touchdowns on 1,156 carries in 99 games. He also caught 179 passes for 1,330 yards and six touchdowns.
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His hard-charging style earned him the nickname "Marion the Barbarian," and he was a fan favorite.
"We are saddened to learn of the passing of former Bears RB Marion Barber III," Chicago said in a statement. "Our hearts go out to his family & friends."
Following his retirement after the 2011 season, Barber was detained...by police in Mansfield, Texas, in 2014 and taken in for a mental health evaluation. In 2019, he was arrested on two misdemeanor counts of criminal mischief.
While Barber's cause of death is unknown those close to him had been concerned over his mental health for over a year.
Startling Statistics about Mental Health in the NFL
As more research uncovers the lingering effects of concussions and former NFL players open up about the struggles they face after their careers, the topic of depression and suicide among former players continues to be broached in meaningful, important ways.
Recently, several former players talked with Jim Trotter of ESPN.com about their post-playing-career battles with depression. The number of retired NFL players who face this problem might surprise some folks.
"It'd be easier to start with which ones do not have depression," former Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Aaron Taylor told Trotter. "Observationally, it's a significant percentage. It varies by degree, obviously, but everyone struggles."
Eddie "Boo" Williams, a former tight end for the New Orleans Saints, told a story about nearly taking his own life in which he lay across railroad tracks awaiting a train before a homeless couple helped him up:
What was going through my mind was, you know, taking myself out, ending my life. I felt like I was a big disappointment to people. I felt like I was less than a man because of the things I was doing and how I couldn't really provide for my family like I used to. It was tough feeling like you're 3-foot-nothing when you're 6'5'. "I felt like I didn't have anybody to turn to [who could] understand the things I was going through. I was at the point that I just wanted to end it all."
According to Bleacher Report, even for athletes with secure financial futures, the loss of identity that often accompanies the conclusion of an athletic career can be difficult to handle. When they dedicate much of their lives to a sport, losing that sport as an essential daily routine is, in many ways, like watching a part of themselves die.
"I had saved my money. I had done well. I had businesses that I had already started," former star running back Eddie George told Trotter. "But there was that void, a huge void, of: 'Man, what am I going to do tomorrow morning when I wake up?' It was pretty much, 'Who am I? I'm no longer an athlete.'"
Dwight Hollier, a former linebacker for the Miami Dolphins and the Indianapolis Colts, endured a similar struggle to George:
"I didn't know what to do. I sulked and I withdrew. I isolated myself.
I just kind of went into a hole. I didn't reach out. There's a stigma with men, with macho men, with athletes, about help-seeking behavior.
But I think having conversations and opening up the dialogue has lowered that resistance, and people are reaching out.
People are getting the assistance that they need."
Football & CTE may be the Cause
CTE or Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is being found as the cause of many former pro football players' troubles after exiting the leauge.
CTE, which can only be diagnosed through an autopsy, has been found in former members of the military, football players, boxers and others who have been subjected to repeated head trauma. One recent study found signs of the debilitating disease in 110 of 111 NFL players whose brains were inspected.
Dr. Ann McKee, who directs the CTE Center at Boston University, said of 24 NFL players diagnosed with the disease after dying in their 20s and 30s, most had stage 2, like Adams.
The disease has four stages, with stage 4 being the most severe and usually associated with dementia.
The second stage is associated with progressive cognitive and behavioral abnormalities such as aggression, impulsivity, depression, paranoia, anxiety, poor executive function and memory loss, McKee said.
