Kenny Easley dies at 66: Legendary Seahawks safety passes away - CBS Sports
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/kenny-easley-dies-seahawks-hall-of-fame/Man, way too young. He was incredible.
Seattle Seahawks legend Kenny "The Enforcer" Easley has died at the age of 66, the team announced on Saturday. The Hall of Fame safety played for the Seahawks from 1981-87 before retiring at the age of 28.
"We are deeply saddened by the passing of Seahawks Legend Kenny Easley," the Seahawks wrote in a statement. "Kenny embodied what it meant to be a Seahawk through his leadership, intensity, and fearlessness. His intimidating nature and athletic grace made him one of the best players of all-time."
The Seahawks selected Easley with the No. 4 overall pick in the 1981 NFL Draft, and he immediately became a star in the defensive backfield. As a rookie, Easley recorded three interceptions and four fumble recoveries, and he finished fourth in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.
Easley really broke out two years later when he earned the first of three consecutive first-team All-Pro honors. In that span, Easley recorded 19 interceptions, seven forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries and two defensive touchdowns. In 1984, Easley led the NFL in interceptions with 10.
The Seahawks had their first real run of success with Easley acting as a ballhawk in Chuck Knox's defense, and that was no coincidence. He was a stalwart on that side of the ball, and Easley helped Seattle reach its first conference title game in 1983.
Easley's NFL career lasted just six seasons as injury issues and kidney disease took their toll. The Seahawks tried to trade Easley to the then Phoenix Cardinals in 1988, but he failed the physical when his kidney failure was discovered.
After his retirement, Easley filed a lawsuit against the Seahawks, claiming the team and its medical staff facilitated his abuse of ibuprofen, which led to his kidney failure. The case was later settled out of court, and Easley received a new kidney in 1990.
The lawsuit led to an icy relationship between Easley and the team for over a decade. However, that came to an end in 2002 when the team inducted Easley into the Ring of Honor. After Easley was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017, the Seahawks retired his No. 45 later that fall.
Prior to his success at the NFL level, Easley was a star at UCLA. While with the Bruins, Easley earned All-American honors in three consecutive years from 1978-80. In his last two seasons at UCLA, Easley was a unanimous All-American. Easley still holds the school record for career interceptions with 19, and his 374 tackles are fifth in UCLA history.