George Henry Atkinson III (November 29, 1992 – December 2, 2019) was an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Notre Dame Fighting Irish The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are the athletic teams that represent the University of Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish participate in 26 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I intercollegiate sports and in the NCAA's Division ...

. He signed with the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

in 2014, and also played for the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

, the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

, and the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

. As a rookie with Oakland in 2014, Atkinson began the season on the

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

until he was activated late in the season and contributed mostly on

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

. He spent most of 2015 on the Raiders' practice squad. Atkinson joined Cleveland in 2016. He played on special teams for all 16 games and also saw time at running back in the season finale. In 2017, Atkinson again tried out with the Raiders, but was released and landed on the practice squad for Kansas City. He spent

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events ...

with the Jets in 2018.

Early life

Atkinson and his twin brother Josh were born to Michelle Martin and former

safety George Atkinson II. Growing up, their mother suffered from

paranoid schizophrenia Schizophrenia () is a mental disorder characterized variously by hallucinations (typically, hearing voices), delusions, disorganized thinking and behavior, and flat or inappropriate affect. Symptoms develop gradually and typically begin ...

and

drug addiction Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to use a drug or engage in a behavior that produces natural reward, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use can ...

, and she was institutionalized. The twins were sent to live with their father when they were 13. Atkinson attended Granada High School in

Livermore, California Livermore is a city in Alameda County, California. With a 2020 population of 87,955, Livermore is the most populous city in the Tri-Valley, giving its name to the Livermore Valley. It is located on the eastern edge of California's San Francisc ...

, where he played

high school football High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...

for the Matadors. He was selected Bay Area News Group athlete of the week after a win over Amador Valley High school football team. He participated in the

U.S. Army All-American Bowl The All-American Bowl (currently branded as the Navy All-American Bowl for sponsorship reasons) is a high school football all-star game, held annually at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Typically played in January, the All-American Bowl is p ...

and served as captain of West team. He was selected to the all-metro first-team as a utility player in high school. Atkinson was also a standout athlete on the school's

track & field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and ...

team, where he competed as a sprinter. As a sophomore in 2009, he finished third in the 100 meters (10.66s) and fourth in the 200 meters (21.46s) in the finals of the state meet, and placed second in his heat in the prelims of the

200 meters The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400-metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slight ...

with a career-best time of 21.30 seconds. As a junior, he suffered a late-season hamstring injury and missed most of the postseason. He quit the team as a senior in protest over the firing of two of his sprint coaches.

College career

Atkinson and his twin Josh attended the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

, where they played football for the Fighting Irish. Primarily a backup

with Notre Dame, Atkinson ran for almost 1,000 yards and scored 10

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

s over his three-year career. He was their leading

kickoff returner A return specialist or kick returner is a player on the special teams unit of a gridiron football team who specializes in returning punts and kickoffs. There are few players who are exclusively return specialists; most also play another position ...

each season. In his first year, he was selected to the Freshman All-American second-team by

Phil Steele Phil Steele (c. 1960) is an American sportswriter and analyst who focuses exclusively on college and professional football. He is considered a "highly respected prognosticator" within the sports media. His company, Phil Steele Publications, pro ...

and was an honorable mention All-American by SI.com as a kickoff returner. As a sophomore in

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

, the Irish went 12–1 and played in the national championship game. Atkinson had his most productive season in

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

as a junior, when he was third on team in rushing with 555 yards on 93 carries. Late in the season, he lost playing time to Tarean Folston and Cam McDaniel. Atkinson was also a member of the Irish's track & field team. He ran a personal-best time of 6.85 seconds in the

60 meters 60 metres, or 60-meter dash, is a sprint event in track and field. It is a championship event for indoor championships, normally dominated by the best outdoor 100 metres runners. At indoor events, the 60 metres is run on lanes set out in the mi ...

at the 2012 GVSU Big Meet, placing third in the prelims. He ran a career-best time of 10.36 seconds in the

100 meters The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at ...

at the 2012 Big East Championships, placing second in the prelims.

Professional career

Oakland Raiders

On May 16, 2014, Atkinson signed with the

as an undrafted free agent. He was released by the team on August 30, but re-signed on September 1 to join its practice squad. On November 29, the Raiders signed him to the active roster. He played in five games as rookie, predominantly on

, averaging 18.1 yards on seven kickoff returns. On September 5, 2015, Atkinson was waived by the Raiders. On September 7, 2015, he was signed to the Raiders' practice squad, spending three weeks with the team before being released on September 22. On November 17, he was re-signed to their practice squad. On September 3, 2016, Atkinson was released by the Raiders as part of final roster cuts.

Cleveland Browns

The

claimed Atkinson off waivers on September 4, 2016. He played on special teams in all 16 games during the season, totaling six

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

and eight kickoff returns for an average of 16.9 yards. Atkinson made his regular-season debut at running back in the season finale against the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

. He had seven rushes for 34 yards and his first career rushing touchdown in the 27–24 overtime loss. On July 28, 2017, the Browns waived Atkinson.

Oakland Raiders (second stint)

Atkinson was claimed off waivers by the Raiders on July 29, 2017. He was waived on September 2.

Kansas City Chiefs

Atkinson was signed to the

' practice squad on September 19, 2017. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Chiefs on January 10, 2018. He was waived on April 4.

New York Jets

On July 29, 2018, Atkinson signed with the

. He was waived on August 31, 2018.

Personal life

Atkinson's twin brother Josh died of

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

on Christmas in 2018. Their mother had died two months before due to complications from

Crohn's disease Crohn's disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that may affect any segment of the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms often include abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, abdominal distension, and weight loss. Complications outside of the ...

. Atkinson suffered from depression after his brother's death. At one point, he was

involuntarily committed Involuntary commitment, civil commitment, or involuntary hospitalization/hospitalisation, or informally in Britain sectioning, being sectioned, commitment, or being committed, is a legal process through which an individual who is deemed by a qual ...

to a

psychiatric hospital A psychiatric hospital, also known as a mental health hospital, a behavioral health hospital, or an asylum is a specialized medical facility that focuses on the treatment of severe Mental disorder, mental disorders. These institutions cater t ...

after trying to harm himself due to the pain of Josh's death. In October 2019, Atkinson wrote an

open letter An open letter is a Letter (message), letter that is intended to be read by a wide audience, or a letter intended for an individual, but that is nonetheless widely distributed intentionally. Open letters usually take the form of a letter (mess ...

on TheUnsealed.com about his

mental health Mental health is often mistakenly equated with the absence of mental illness. However, mental health refers to a person's overall emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It influences how individuals think, feel, and behave, and how t ...

struggles. He died on December 2, 2019, three days after his 27th birthday. The cause of death was not initially released. At the time of his death, he had left behind a two-year-old daughter. George was one of at least 345 NFL players to be diagnosed after death with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is caused by repeated hits to the head. His brother Josh was also posthumously diagnosed with CTE.

References

External links

Notre Dame Fighting Irish bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atkinson, George 1992 births 2019 deaths American football running backs Cleveland Browns players Kansas City Chiefs players Place of death missing New York Jets players Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's track and field athletes Oakland Raiders players Players of American football from Oakland, California Track and field athletes from Oakland, California American twins 21st-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen Granada High School (California) alumni