Photo via Wikimedia Commons
Former NFL quarterback Erik Kramer, who played for the Falcons, Lions, Bears and Chargers during a more than decade-long career and survived a later suicide attempt will be arraigned Friday on a misdemeanor battery count for allegedly assaulting his wife in mid-June at their Agoura Hills home.
The 53-year-old Kramer has in the past described personal challenges that led to severe depression, including the overdose death of his 18-year-old son.
Kramer — whose full name is William Erik Kramer — allegedly assaulted his wife June 13 during an argument.
Kramer survived a suicide attempt in August 2015, when he shot himself in the head at a Calabasas hotel room. He spent six weeks in a coma but survived.
Kramer admitted to severe depression, saying it dated back to an injury he suffered while playing with the Chicago Bears in 1994.
“I think it was the fall from grace,” Kramer told the Detroit Free Press in 2016. “Coming in as the starter and the free agent and then getting hurt, feeling better after a few weeks, like I could play, but then not getting an opportunity to. And I think that all played a part in it.”
He said the problem worsened in 2011 when his 18-year-old son died of a heroin overdose. His mother died of cancer in 2012.
He faces up to a year in jail if convicted, according to the District Attorney’s Office.
An Encino native, Kramer also played several seasons with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League. He has worked as a sports broadcaster since retiring from the NFL after the 1999 season.
>> Want to read more stories like this? Get our Free Daily Newsletters Here!