Kellen Winslow Jr. is one of the best TEs I've ever seen. I recall being terrified of his playmaking ability during the Fiesta Bowl, and for good reason as he lit the Bucks secondary up all night long. I was then thrilled that the (still new-ish) Browns took him in the first round, and was really disappointed when he broke his leg. Then, two surgeries, torn ACL via the motorcycle, microfracture surgery, staph infection after that. PED suspension was basically the final straw for him.
He typified the type of player who loved contact, and he seemingly always popped right back up from bell-ringing hits. The 'soldier' comment wasn't great, but if there is a comparison to he drawn to that line of work and the NFL, I'll argue that he typified it. Honestly, my most vivid memory of him involved a training camp catch. I'm in Berea, it's hot as the sun's surface, sitting in a fold-up chair near the endzone where the TEs were working on routes. Winslow's up, runs a flag, makes an incredible one handed catch, and is barrelling at me at a tremendous rate of speed. It happened so fast I couldn't even say 'oh shit' and he stops on a dime two feet in front of me. We make eye contact for a split second, he gives me the slightest shrug, then back in line. If he'd have run into me, your old buddy Sharks would be in a permanent world of hurt.
He was in the news last week for being arrested in a San Diego-area trailer park for attempted burglary (https://deadspin.com/kellen-winslow-jr-says-he-was-house-shopping-for-hi...) to which he explained that he was scoping out a possible home purchase for his mother-in-law, and the conversation turned to whether he was profiled because he's black.
Then today, he was arrested on a veritable raft of serious charges (https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/Arrest-Kellen-Winslow-Jr-Was-Look...). Reading that made me recall the hits that he impressed me by shrugging off. I may be way off-base (and out of line), but I'm wondering if there's some CTE involved, possibly a substantial amount. Certainly doesn't absolve him of anything (and he's of course innocent until proven otherwise), but he's another one of those guys who star shown incredibly brightly for a brief period, then was extinguished in a heartbeat.
