Sadly, there are several accounts of elite athletes whose drug addiction destroyed their careers. This includes Stanley Wilson, the former fullback for the Bengals, whose career ended after he was suspended from the Super Bowl following an incident involving crack cocaine.
Prior to the Cincinnati Bengals selecting him in the ninth round of the 1983 NFL Draft, Wilson first established himself at the University of Oklahoma. The wide receiver’s rookie season was cut short after he checked himself into rehab to deal with his cocaine addiction, despite playing in 10 games.
He would ultimately spend the next year coming and going from treatment four times, and he only made one appearance in a game in 1984 before his drug usage cost him the remainder of the season and the whole 1985 campaign.
After testing positive for cocaine in 1986, the NFL implemented a new substance usage policy, which resulted in Wilson’s second full season suspension. However, in 1988, Wilson was given another chance at redemption after he claimed to have been drug-free for a year.
Wilson appeared to be going to take full advantage of the opportunity at first, but regrettably, that did not work out because of what happened the night before he
Bengals RB Stanley Wilson went missing for days after doing too much cocaine the night before Super Bowl XXIII
Wilson made a number of significant contributions during the season, which helped the Bengals qualify for The Big Game. In addition to playing in 15 games and gaining 398 yards on 112 runs, he contributed to the playoff cause by scoring two touchdowns on the way to the title game.
It appeared as though he had moved over his off-field problems, but on January 22, 1989, when the team traveled to Miami to play the 49ers in Super Bowl XXIII, things took a very fatal turn.
In an interview with the Cincinnati Inquirer in 2017, a few of Wilson’s coaches and teammates discussed their thoughts on the events of the evening prior to that game. The fullback was nowhere to be seen when the Bengals’ team meeting to discuss the last-minute issues was called to order.
After learning that Wilson had refused to leave, a group of staff members were seen the following sight when they went to his room, according to offensive coordinator Bruce Coslet:
“They discovered him, completely inebriated, in the bathtub.” He fled when they dressed him, contacted the paramedics, and said, “We’re taking him to the hospital.”
He practically bolted down the hotel stairs and was gone before he could get into the ambulance. I didn’t see him once more. I suppose it took them three or four days to discover him.
The Los Angeles Times reports that three days later, Wilson called the team to let them know he had made touch with his parents again in Miami. According to the newspaper, there was evidence in the Holiday Inn room where he had taken refuge that indicated he had used crack cocaine before they arrived.
When the Super Bowl got underway, Wilson was nowhere to be seen, and some of his teammates thought that his absence contributed to his team’s 20-16 loss.
You’ve chosen the incorrect story if you’re looking for a joyful conclusion. Wilson, who was later given a bipolar diagnosis, never took another snap in the NFL and kept having addiction problems. He was apprehended in 1999 for stealing goods valued at $130,000 from a Beverly Hills residence; upon being found guilty of burglary, he received a 22-year prison sentence.
Stanley Wilson Jr., his son, followed in his father’s footsteps and attended Stanford to play cornerback before spending a short time with the Lions. But before his untimely death in 2023 while in police custody, he struggled with addiction and mental health problems (which may be related to CTE). His career was unfortunately cut short by an accident.
If there is a bright spot, Wilson claims that his medication for bipolar disorder has kept him drug-free and “more stable than I’ve ever been.” Nevertheless, he and his wife are still looking for answers after their kid passed away and filed a wrongful death case.
