Super Bowl Champ Charles Johnson Death Ruled As Suicide, Officials Say

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Charles Johnson, the former Super Bowl champion and nine-year NFL veteran, died in July by suicide from an apparent drug overdose, according to the North Carolina medical examiner's office.

Johnson was found dead in a hotel room in Raleigh on July 17, 2022 and was determined to have "acute oxycodone, hydrocodone and mirtazapine toxicity" when he died. The former wide receiver was not prescribed anything at the time nor did he have a reported medical history.

Officials said that Johnson paid for the hotel room on July 15, but returned home to get some items. His wife reported him missing on July 16, the day before he was found dead.

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Charles Johnson died via suicide at the age of 50. (Getty Images)

The 17th pick in the 1994 NFL Draft out of Colorado was serving as an assistant athletic director at Heritage High School in Wake Forest, North Carolina at the time of his death.

After being drafted by the Steelers in '94 and spending five seasons in Pittsburgh, he spent two seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles before winning the Super Bowl with the New England Patriots in 2001. He ended his career with the Buffalo Bills the next year.

Johnson finished his career with 354 catches in 133 career games to go along with 24 touchdowns and 4,606 receiving yards.

Johnson was 50 years old.

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.