Stanley Wilson Jr., a former Detroit Lions player, fell and died on Feb. 1 in a mental health center, according to TMZ Sports . He was 40 years old.
Stanley Wilson was arrested for vandalism but was ruled mentally incompetent for trial, according to the news source. As he fell, officers moved him from a county jail to the Metropolitan State Hospital in Los Angeles County for intake. The cause of death was not immediately reported because the results of the autopsy are still pending.
“Our thoughts are with Wilson’s family and all who were close to him,” the Detroit Lions said, confirming his death.
Stanley Wilson was selected by the Lions in the third round of the 2005 NFL Draft out of Stanford University. He was with the Lions for three seasons before suffering a career-ending Achilles tear in 2008. Stanley Wilson Sr., his father, was a running back for the Cincinnati Bengals from 1983 to 1988.
After his NFL career ended, Stanley Wilson had several encounters with law enforcement. The Oregonian reported that Wilson faced attempted first-degree burglary and other charges in 2016 after a Portland homeowner shot Wilson in the abdomen when he tried to break into the house through a backyard window. Wilson was found lying naked in a water fountain. He was also accused of burglarizing another house in the area that day. And in 2017, police arrested Wilson after he was found naked outside a stranger’s home.
TMZ reported that he was accused of breaking into a $30 million Hollywood Hills property on two separate occasions, most recently in August 2022. Wilson allegedly took a bath in the outside fountain with soap he found inside the house and caused $5,000 worth of damage.