A story about a former NFL player arrested while naked for the second time in less than a year might sound funny at first. However, in Stanley Wilson II’s case, the story seems much more sad.
Wilson II, the son of former Cincinnati Bengals’ running back Stanley Wilson, was shot in the abdomen last June by a homeowner in Portland during an alleged burglary. According to police, Wilson also tried to break into another house that day, and he wound up facing charges of first-degree burglary, attempted first-degree burglary, second-degree criminal trespass, second-degree disorderly conduct and aggravated harassment. On January 10, Wilson was arrested again after standing outside a stranger’s house in the nude, according to court documents filed this week. Everton Bailey Jr. of The Oregonian has more:
A former NFL player shot last June as he allegedly broke into a Portland home while naked was arrested last week after police found him outside another stranger’s home while nude, court documents show.
Stanley Wilson II was “running around” and appeared to be high when Portland police found him as they responded to a Jan. 10 disturbance call, according to an affidavit to revoke his pretrial release.
That affidavit also alleges other violations of the conditions of Wilson’s pretrial release:
Wilson has violated several conditions of his release since June, the affidavit said.
He tested positive for methamphetamine on Nov. 21 during a routine test, the affidavit said. The next month, he was ordered to undergo drug treatment. He attended one session.
His use of drugs, the missed sessions and his failure to report address changes all violated of his release, the affidavit said.
What’s particularly sad about the drug reports in particular is that drugs led to the elder Wilson leaving the NFL, as Matt Bonesteel of The Washington Post writes:
Wilson’s father was a running back for the Cincinnati Bengals over four seasons, from 1983 to 1988, but the NFL suspended him for the entirety of the 1985 and 1987 seasons for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. Just days before the Bengals were to play the 49ers in Super Bowl XXIII, Wilson’s position coach found him high on cocaine in a bathroom before the team’s final meeting ahead of the game. Cincinnati was forced to go without a player who had scored three touchdowns in the postseason, and the NFL banned Wilson for life because it was his third violation of the league’s drug policy. In 1999, the elder Wilson was sentenced to 22 years in prison after he stole $130,000 worth of property from a home in Beverly Hills, Calif., to feed his drug habit.
“We don’t talk specifically about that night, but rather his whole addiction problem,” Stanley Wilson II said in 2005, right before the Lions drafted him out of Stanford. “We talk about drugs so that I stay away from them.”
For a long while, Wilson II’s star appeared on the rise. He attended Stanford as a running back at first, but then switched to cornerback, and was a hot prospect ahead of the 2005 NFL draft. That above linked piece from 2005, from Rick Gosselin of The Dallas Morning News, had Wilson II speaking candidly about his father’s issues with drugs:
Stanley Wilson is proud of his name. Proud to be the son of Stanley Wilson, former NFL player. Proud to be the son of Stanley Wilson, convicted felon.
Stanley Wilson the father besmirched his good name in the NFL by going AWOL on the Cincinnati Bengals on the eve of the biggest game of his life — the 1989 Super Bowl.
Wilson, the Bengals’ starting fullback, went on a cocaine binge that night and didn’t play in the game the next day against the San Francisco 49ers. He never played in the NFL again.
…Now his son hopes to embark on an NFL career of his own, intent on restoring the good name of Stanley Wilson in NFL circles. Stanley Wilson the son doesn’t feel he needs to restore his father’s good name in the family circle.
“I’m happy to represent my dad,” the son said. “It’s a blessing and a tribute to him that I’m here. A lot of people who might have a past like I do could have fallen by the wayside. The fact that I’m here today shows he’s a great dad. I wouldn’t change that.”
While Wilson II wound up being drafted in the third round (72nd overall) by Detroit, he only played for them from 2005 to 2007, and hasn’t been in the NFL since. It certainly sounds like he’s facing some serious issues of his own these days. Here’s hoping that he’s able to get the help he needs.
