Family of former NFL player Stanley Wilson Jr. files lawsuit alleging he died from excessive force

The family of Stanley Wilson Jr. claims in a new lawsuit there is evidence the former Detroit Lions cornerback may have died from excessive force.

The lawsuit comes over a month after Wilson collapsed and died while being transferred from a Los Angeles jail to a mental hospital.

Photos of Wilson’s body show “fresh wounds to his forehead, which appear to have been caused by a shoe,” People quoted family attorney John Carpenter as saying at a Tuesday press conference.

Pictures of the athlete’s wrists showed he may have also been in handcuffs when he collapsed at Twin Towers Correctional Facility on Feb. 1, the lawyer said.

Wilson had been held at the correctional facility since an arrest in August 2022 for allegedly breaking into $30 million Hollywood Hills mansion for the second time and causing upwards of $5,000 in damage, according to TMZ.

Carpenter claims the event may have been a result of Wilson suffering from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a degenerative brain disease that has been discovered in the bodies of many retired NFL players.

“Due to his mental illness, the county found him not able to stand trial, not able to provide assistance to counsel, and so they put him in” the Twin Towers Correctional Facility, Carpenter said.

Family said that Wilson’s mood and personality had recently shifted, another possible sign of CTE.

The former Stanford University football star reportedly struggled with drug abuse since his playing days and had a history of breaking into homes.

His family is reportedly seeking $45 million in damages.