George Atkinson Cause Of Death: Did The NFL Player Commit Suicide Like Twin Brother?

Ex-Notre Dame and National Football League (NFL) running back George Atkinson III died on Tuesday, one year after the death of his twin brother and former teammate Josh Atkinson. Authorities have yet to confirm the cause of his death, but speculations are rife that the 27-year-old NFL player also died by suicide.

Josh died in January this year after hanging himself. After his passing, George Atkinson published an open letter admitting that he had also been institutionalized for attempting to harm himself. In fact, he admitted that his depression dated long before the death of his twin brother, as there were certain events in their past that they could not escape.

“My mom suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, which led to drug addiction,” wrote George. “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,” he added.

While George and Josh found solace in their father, he admitted it was not easy for them to escape the trauma of their past. According to George, it was their father who instilled the discipline and guidance that they did not have in their lives as young kids but having a father was still not enough to run away from all the bad memories. “However, we still did not open up about all that we went through. We just kept moving forward,” he added.

George and Josh are twin sons of famed Oakland Raiders defensive back George Atkinson II. Before they became part of the NFL, Josh had played defensive back in college while George played running back and punt returner. George also had brief stints with Notre Dame, the Cleveland Browns and the Raiders.

George is survived by his two-year-old daughter, whom he credited for saving his life the first time he attempted to kill himself. His daughter reportedly gave him that “second wind of motivation” he needed to face his problems head-on and get through the tough times after he had lost his brother.