Former Alabama running back Ray Hudson died at the age of 42; his cause of death is not yet known.
Hudson is the third running back from Alabama’s 2002 team who has died over the past two years. Santonio Beard died in February of last year after being shot and killed; Ahmaad Galloway, who starred with the Tide from 1999-2002, died of an accidental drug overdose last January; and now Hudson.
Hudson played in 42 games over four years with the Crimson Tide, rushing for 1,639 yards and seven touchdowns. He then suffered a knee injury that ended his career at Alabama. Hudson then signed with the New Orleans Saints but was cut early in training camp in 2005.
Hudson talked about his battle with depression, anger, and memory loss in a 2014 interview with AL.com.
“I don’t see where it would’ve come from anything else,” he said at the time. “I have anger issues and depression. I’ve never been on any kind of supplements or steroids. I’ve always been a happy-go-lucky guy my whole life.”
He stopped short of calling it CTE, but all the things mentioned sounded like signs of someone suffering from CTE. Hudson also mentioned the concussions he suffered during his time at Alabama and was involved in a lawsuit at the time concerning his condition.
No funeral arrangements have been made yet.
About Stacey Mickles
Stacey is a 1995 graduate of the University of Alabama who has previously worked for other publications such as Sportskeeda and Saturday Down South.