One of the greatest players in the 50-season history of the Seattle Seahawks has passed away.
Hall of Fame safety Kenny Easley passed away Friday night at the age of 66.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of Seahawks legend Kenny Easley. Kenny exemplified what it means to be a Seahawk with his leadership, toughness, intensity and fearlessness,” the team said in a statement distributed Saturday afternoon. “His formidable personality and athletic ability made him one of the greatest players of all time.
“Kenny, a man of faith, will forever be remembered as a beloved member of the Seahawks family, and his legacy will live on as an inspiration to fans around the world. Our hearts go out to his wife, Gail, and his children, Kendrick, Gabriel, and Giordanna.”
Drafted fourth overall in the 1981 NFL Draft out of UCLA, Easley played just seven years in the league, but was outstanding throughout his short professional career.
A five-time Pro Bowler, three-time All-Pro and first-team selection, he was also named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year in 1984, when the Seahawks set a franchise record at the time with 12 regular-season wins.
Easley, known as the “Enforcer” for his tough, hard-hitting style of play, completed a league-high 10 passes that season and returned two for touchdowns. The 1984 Seahawks forced 63 turnovers, the most by any team since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.
Easley was a key member of the Seahawks in 1983, ’84 and ’87, the first three teams in club history to reach the playoffs. The 1983 team advanced to the AFC Championship Game, but ultimately lost to the Los Angeles Raiders, who won Super Bowl XVIII.
Easley finished his career with 32 picks, 11 fumble recoveries, nine forced fumbles, and eight sacks in 89 games.
One of the best safeties in league history, he was also a member of the NFL’s All-Decade team in the 1980s and was enshrined in Canton in 2017, despite having a cut short career.
Seattle traded Easley to the Phoenix Cardinals before the 1988 season, but severe kidney disease forced him to retire. He later sued the Seahawks and their medical staff, alleging that an Advil overdose caused kidney failure. Easley and his team settled the case several years later, and he eventually received a kidney transplant. He also underwent triple bypass surgery in 2016.
After a bitter divorce, Easley and the franchise later reconciled, and in 2002 he was inducted into the Seahawks’ Ring of Honor, one of only 11 players to be recognized by the franchise. His number 45 was also retired by Seattle, one of only five jerseys taken out of circulation by Seattle.
“I’m glad we were able to reach a settlement,” Easley said via the Seahawks’ website in 2017. “To be honest, I never really thought about it because I was wallowing in my own anger. I thought I had been wronged. What happened to me didn’t have to happen. And it took me a while to recover from that. For 15 years, I was a football player. I didn’t watch a game. I never saw Cortez Kennedy play, because from 1987, when I joined Ring of Honor, to 2002, I didn’t watch NFL football, any kind of football, that whole time. Because I needed to step away from soccer completely. ”
“Kenny Easley was always going to be a dominant safety. When he was enthroned in 2017, he earned a well-deserved spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and embraced football immortality. Kenny had great ball skills, but don’t get me wrong. His biggest strengths were his fearlessness and intensity. When he got the ball as an opposing offensive player, he would hit hard and you would feel it for a while.”
“The Hall of Fame staff extends its condolences to Kenny’s wife Gail and the entire Easley family.”
The Seahawks and Hall have not disclosed the cause of death.
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