J. D. Hill (born October 30, 1948) is an American former professional

player Player may refer to: Role or adjective * Player (game), a participant in a game or sport ** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games ** Athlete, a player in sports ** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who ...

who was a wide receiver for seven seasons in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) for the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions. He played college football at Arizona State University. He was the first wide receiver selected in the

1971 NFL Draft The 1971 National Football League draft was held January 28–29, 1971, at the Belmont Plaza Hotel in New York City, New York. The Boston Patriots, who did not officially change their name to New England Patriots until after the draft, used th ...

at 4th in the first round by the Bills. His son, Lonzell Hill, also played wide receiver in the NFL. Another son, Shelby Hill, was a wide receiver for Syracuse University. In 2014 Hill and seven other players were named as plaintiffs in a lawsuit against the NFL. It alleges he, and more than 400 others were illegally given narcotics to mask the pain so they could play in games. "I became addicted and turned to the streets after my career and was homeless. Never took a drug in my life, and I became a junkie in the NFL" he said.

References

1948 births Living people Players of American football from Stockton, California American football wide receivers Arizona State Sun Devils football players Buffalo Bills players Detroit Lions players American Conference Pro Bowl players All-American college football players {{widereceiver-1940s-stub