He was once the most prolific running back in the NFL.
But his legacy could be remembered quite differently. Authorities say former Tennessee Titan star Chris Johnson orchestrated a murder-for-hire plot in 2015 that resulted in two deadly shootings.
TMZ first broke the news. Johnson has firmly denied the accusations.
Police say his connection to the hitman plot stems from a March 2015 shooting, when Johnson and his friend Dreekius Johnson were the victims of an early morning shooting. TMZ writes that Orange County Sheriff officials say the two men were sitting in a Jeep when the violent attack occurred.
Chris Johnson survived the shooting, but his friend Dreekius was killed.
According to TMZ and the documents they’ve discovered, the former NFL star sought revenge in what law enforcement officials called a “gang related murder attempt on Chris Johnson.”
Johnson allegedly hired Dominic Bolden, a Florida gang member, and paid him cash to murder his suspected shooters. The revenge killings took place on two separate occasions: One on Jan. 19, 2016 and one on July 24, 2016.
TMZ’s reports that Bolden, in exacting revenge, was promoted to the very top of a gang organization as a reward for the killings.
TMZ says the court documents also implicate Johnson as a key player in the day-to-day operations of the gang’s drug trafficking conspiracy.
Chris Johnson’s 2009 season in the league saw him rush for 2,000 yards in a single season, joining an exclusive club of NFL legends.
Johnson finished his 10-year career with 9,561 total rushing yards.
The Horn editorial team