Men Suffering In Silence!
By: Tommy “Tj” Sotomayor

Ex-Notre Dame running back George Atkinson III has died at 27 nearly one year after his twin brother and former Fighting Irish teammate Josh committed suicide

Former Notre Dame running back and NFL player George Atkinson III has died at 27 nearly one year after his twin brother and former Fighting Irish teammate Josh committed suicide.

Multiple reports have confirmed Atkinson’s passing, but no cause of death has yet been given. According to The Athletic’s Pete Sampson, George III had ‘been dealing with depression since the death of his twin brother Josh roughly one year ago.’

In October he published an open letter crediting his daughter with saving his life, but also admitting that he had previously been institutionalized after attempting to harm himself.

The twins are the sons of famed Oakland Raiders defensive back George Atkinson II. Josh also played defensive back in college, whereas George III was a running back and punt returner, who went on to have brief stints with the Cleveland Browns and the Raiders.

The Atkinson twins lost their mother to complications from Crohn’s disease shortly before Josh’s suicide, George III revealed in that open letter. She had suffered from paranoid schizophrenia in their youth.

The twins, former teammates at Notre Dame, died within a year of each other in 2019

The twins are the sons of famed Oakland Raiders defensive back George Atkinson II (center). Josh also played defensive back in college, whereas George III (left) was a running back and punt returner, who went on to have brief stints with the Cleveland Browns and the Raiders

Multiple reports have confirmed Atkinson’s passing, but no cause of death has yet been given. According to The Athletic’s Pete Sampson, George III had ‘been dealing with depression since the death of his twin brother Josh roughly one year ago’

George Atkinson III was perhaps best known for his time at Notre Dame (left), but did go on to have brief stints with the Cleveland Browns and Oakland Raiders (right) 

‘My mom suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, which led to drug addiction,’ wrote George III. ‘Crack was her main choice. Since we were babies, she would have episodes. She would think people were out to get her or she would hallucinate. Eventually, she’d get 5150’d, which is where she was forced into an institution. My brother and I didn’t know what was going on. All we knew was that people were taking our mom away from us.’

As George III explained, he and his brother came to rely on their father, but could not escape the trauma of their past.

‘Eventually, we were taken away from our mom,’ George III wrote. ‘After living with our uncle for almost two years our dad stepped up when we were about 13 and took us in to live with him.

Josh Atkinson prepares for a game against Michigan in 2012. He hanged himself in January, shortly after the death of his mother

‘Our dad instilled the discipline and guidance that we didn’t have in our lives as young kids. It was also the first time we had real stability, as it was the longest we had ever been at one spot.

‘However, we still did not open up about all that we went through. We just kept moving forward.’ 

A native of California, George III was a member of the Notre Dame track team, competing in the 60-meter and 100-meter dash.

His NFL career was brief.

After a few short stints with the Raiders – his father’s team – George III was claimed off waivers by the Browns, for whom he scored his first and only NFL touchdown.

Atkinson went on to sign with practice squads and Kansas City and with the New York Jets, and has been out of the league since September of 2018.

George Atkinson II was a two-time AFL All-Star, who helped the Raiders win Super Bowl XI over the Minnesota Vikings in 1977. 

Earlier this year, George Atkinson III reacted to his brother’s suicide on Twitter 

Getty

Former Oakland Raiders running back George Atkinson III has passed away at the age of 27, according to The Athletic’s Pete Sampson. His cause of death is unknown currently, but Sampson noted that Atkinson has been dealing with depression since the death of his twin brother back in January. The running back was on four different teams throughout his career including the Raiders, the Cleveland Browns, the Kansas City Chiefs and the New York Jets.

He played 21 games and was mainly a kick returner. However, he did score a rushing touchdown for the Browns in 2016. Atkinson’s last NFL stint was on the Jets’ practice squad, but he was waived before the season. He played college football at Notre Dame where he thrived as a kick returner. He went into the NFL as an undrafted free agent but never found a long-term situation.

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1. His Twin Brother, Josh, Died a Year Ago

ATKINSON TWINS2010-10-07T23:05:43.000Z

As previously mentioned, George’s brother Josh died in January. It’s clear that his death had a major effect on George. Shortly after his brother’s death, he took to his Instagram to mourn.

“I can’t put into words the pain that comes with losing my twin brother (Joshua Alexander Atkinson) thank you for the love and support please keep Josh in your prayers and respect the space I need to mourn this tragic loss,” Atkinson wrote on Instagram back in January.

Josh’s cause of death was suicide by hanging, according to George.

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2. He Was the Son of Raiders Legend George Atkinson

Former Oakland Raider George Atkinson to donate brain to CTE researchFormer Raiders All-Pro safety George Atkinson is suffering from symptoms that could one day be linked to CTE, a disease prevalent among several ex-NFL players. About a month ago, Atkinson and two of his former teammates announced they will donate their brains to the Boston University School of Medicine in support of CTE research and their former quarterback Ken Stabler, who was found to have had the disease upon his death. Through his journey, the Super Bowl XI champion and his family have taken a proactive approach to learning more about what’s happening inside his brain and what they can do to help prolong his life.2016-04-15T17:35:41.000Z

The Atkinson brothers had big shoes to fill in the football arena as they were the sons of Raiders legend George Atkinson. The retired defensive back was a two time AFL All-Star and a Super Bowl champion. He played nine years in Oakland as a safety and kick returner. Atkinson is a beloved member of Raider Nation and is frequently seen at games. It’s clear that the Atkinson family was a football family.

Follow the Heavy Oakland Raiders page for the latest breaking news, rumors and content!

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3. Atkinson Had a Rough Childhood

It was only a month ago that George wrote an open letter about his life for TheUnsealed.com. His mother had mental issues, which caused a lot of the family’s problems.

My mom suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, which led to drug addiction. Crack was her main choice. Since we were babies, she would have episodes. She would think people were out to get her or she would hallucinate. Eventually, she’d get 5150’d, which is where she was forced into an institution. My brother and I didn’t know what was going on. All we knew was that people were taking our mom away from us.

The mother’s instability led to the two boys never having a consistent home.

Our lives were never stable. We moved around a lot because my mom wouldn’t be able to pay rent or she would damage the property, writing on the walls. They put my brother and me in special education classes because we weren’t attending school regularly, which affected our self-esteem.

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4. His Mother Died in October 2018

In his open, Atkinson detailed about how his mother died not long ago and only a few months before Josh did.

Last October, when were 26 years old, our mother died from complications from Crohn’s disease. We both were grieving but I thought Josh was taking it better than me.

I guess he was just masking it…

According to George, Josh took their mother’s death very hard and he detailed his brother’s struggles.

On Christmas Eve, he went missing. Through the GPS in his car we found him. Drunk and upset, he was on the verge of driving to the bridge and doing something stupid. He said he felt guilty because we pulled the plug on our mother’s life support. I told him it was our decision. I reassured him no one is blaming nobody and to snap out of it because it was in God’s hand.

I calmed him down and took him home.

The next day he hanged himself.

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5. He Has a Young Daughter

Josh’s death took a toll on George. He even admitted in his open letter that he tried to take the same route his brother did and ended up institutionalized because of it.

That’s the moment I felt like I lost everything. That’s the moment I can’t describe. I never want you to feel his pain or my pain.

I was 5150’d – forced into the same institution my mom was once in because I, too, tried to harm myself.

George said in his letter that his daughter was the reason he kept going.

Without my daughter, I don’t know where I would be right now. She gave me that second wind of motivation.

His daughter’s age and name aren’t public information. He went on to acknowledge that the holiday season was going to be tough for him this year.

Like you, I am still struggling. My mother’s birthday just passed and I know the holidays this year won’t be easy. But I am trying to take life one day at a time.