Former Notre Dame football player Ethan Johnson, 32, is declared ‘missing and endangered’
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Former Notre Dame footballer Ethan Johnson, 32, has been ‘missing and threatened’ near Portland for a decade after suffering a traumatic brain injury, as police warn he suffers from mental health problems
- Ex-Notre Dame footballer Ethan Johnson is ‘missing and threatened’
- He was last seen in Vancouver, Washington, outside Portland, Oregon
- Once a top recruit, Johnson suffered a concussion while trying out for the Chiefs
- The 32-year-old has since struggled with health issues related to the head trauma
- Local police have warned that he may have stopped taking his medication
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Former Notre Dame football player Ethan Johnson has been reported missing and threatened by the Vancouver, Washington police, who say he suffered a traumatic brain injury.
Johnson, a fighting Irish defensive lineman from 2008 to 2011, was last seen near his home in Portland, Oregon, near the Columbia River.
Police also said Johnson, 32, should be on medication but may not, according to Portland’s KATU. He reportedly suffers from schizo-effective disorder, paranoid schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression. If seen, the police have asked that witnesses not try to contact him, but instead alert the authorities.
Considered one of the top defensive prospects in the country, Johnson turned down grants from powerhouses like USC and Michigan before accepting an offer from Notre Dame, where he started four games as a freshman.
He tried to make the NFL as an undrafted free agent, but suffered a severe concussion while trying to make the Kansas City Chiefs roster in 2013.
Johnson was later listed as a plaintiff in the class-action concussion lawsuits against the NFL.
“Firing my first job because of a concussion still leaves a bad taste in my mouth,” Johnson said rolling stone in 2014. “I went to Kansas City camp and felt like I was doing well and then I got injured. I had a concussion. I technically still had a concussion and was still under doctor’s care when they released me. The GM and the coach said they hadn’t seen enough to keep me.
“It was a point practice, one-on-one, and I got hit on the helmet and got hit on my butt,” he said, describing the injury. “I wasn’t knocked out. Many people think you have to go knockout to get a concussion. Not true. I was just dazed and my head hurt.’
He eventually returned to his high school, where he worked as a tutor.