Tony Elliott, who in the 1980s was a nose tackle for the New Orleans Saints, has died at the age of 48. Following his time in high school in Connecticut, Elliott played for the University of North Texas before being drafted into the NFL in 1982. Elliott played for the Saints for seven seasons and, at 6 foot 2 inches tall and 282 pounds, recorded 13 sacks for the team.
Elliott may have been a hard hitter for the Saints but, sadly, he was paralyzed in 2000 during a shooting, eliminating his movement from his waist on down. By the time of his death on Monday, December 31st, Elliott had congestive heart failure, diabetes, and high blood pressure. He was also limited only by how far his wheelchair could go.
Elliott’s life was tragic. When he was four years old, he saw his father murder his mother. He lived with relatives during his youth but eventually wound up in the care of his home state, Connecticut. He was involved with gangs, drug use, and alcohol had all become part of Elliott’s life by the time that he had entered his high school years, but his future began to look brighter during his time playing for the Harding high School football team.
Elliott became a All-State and All-American player, and helped Harding win the Connecticut Championship. He attended the University of Wisconsin at Madison but academically failed at the school, and his life continued to be mired with drugs and alcohol. He played for Kansas’ Pratt Junior College and managed to gain a scholarship to play for the University of North Texas. Though he did not perform well academically at the school, his on-field prowess gained him a spot on the Saints as a fifth-round draft pick.
Elliott’s ascension to the NFL did not stave off his cocaine addiction, which led him to the Timberlawn Rehabilitation Center in Dallas, Texas during the middle of his first season. He finished. Following his first season playing for the Saints, he fell back into drug use and was back in rehabilitation going into his second season for the Saints. Upon learning of his brother’s murder, Elliott plunged into further drug use and legal run-ins. Things turned around for Elliott after being face with his own murder by a drug dealer and turning himself into another rehab center.
He exited treatment as a major figure in the New Orleans community, making speeches at schools, becoming a nationally-recognized anti-drug advocate, and returning to the football field for the saints drug-free. On the gridiron he was a nose tackle sacking quarterbacks. Off the field he was tackling the tough issue of drugs and finding success as a role model.
Elliott’s life had turned downward following his paralysis and health woes. He had to testify on the behalf of his ex-wife, who faced federal corruption charges stemming from lies she made to the FBI, conspiracy, and wire fraud. Sporting News report Elliott had been facing depression since testifying in his ex-wife’s court case last year.
Resources:
“Tony Elliott Dies; Was Saints Nose Tackle.” Sporting News. 3 January 2008. 3 January 2008. http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=332705
“Tony Elliott, Former New Orleans Saints Nose Tackle, Dies at 48.” International Herald Tribune. 3 January 2008. 3 January 2008. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/01/03/sports/FBN-Obit-Elliott.php
“You Can’t Escape: The Tony Elliott Story.” http://www.bus.ucf.edu/sport/cgi-bin/site/sitew.cgi?page=/news/articles/article_11.htx
