George Henry Atkinson III (November 29, 1992 – December 2, 2019) was an American professional football 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 handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Ther ...

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). He played college football 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 23 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I intercollegiate sports and in the NCAA's Division ...

. He signed with the Oakland Raiders as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player 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 contract at present but who is a ...

in 2014, and also played for the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...

, 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 club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The ...

, and the New York Jets. As a rookie with Oakland in 2014, Atkinson began the season on the practice squad 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 years

Atkinson and his twin brother Josh were born to Michelle Martin and former Oakland Raiders safety George Atkinson II. Growing up, their mother suffered from

paranoid schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social w ...

and

drug addiction Addiction is a neuropsychological disorder characterized by a persistent and intense urge to engage in certain behaviors, one of which is the usage of a drug, despite substantial harm and other negative consequences. Repetitive drug use oft ...

, 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 (formerly Livermorès, Livermore Ranch, and Nottingham) is a city in Alameda County, California. With a 2020 population of 87,955, Livermore is the most populous city in the Tri-Valley. It is located on the eastern edge of Californ ...

, where he played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

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 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 is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

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 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 ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic university, Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend, Indiana, South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin fo ...

, where they played football for the

Fighting Irish The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are the athletic teams that represent the University of Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish participate in 23 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I intercollegiate sports and in the NCAA's Divisi ...

. 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. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Amer ...

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 positio ...

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, pr ...

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

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

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

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 Tarean Folston (born January 11, 1995) is an American football running back for the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for Notre Dame. High school Folston attended Cocoa High School in Cocoa, Florid ...

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 outdoor venues it is a rare distance, at least for senior ath ...

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 contes ...

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

Professional career

Oakland Raiders

On May 16, 2014, Atkinson signed with the Oakland Raiders 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 position in American football and Canadian football ** Dump tackle, a forceful move in rugby of picking u ...

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. 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 New York Jets. He was waived on August 31, 2018.

Personal life

Atkinson's twin brother Josh died of suicide on Christmas in 2018. Their mother had died two months before due to complications from Crohn's disease. Atkinson suffered from depression after his brother's death. At one point, he was involuntarily committed to a

psychiatric hospital Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociat ...

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 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 addressed to an indiv ...

on TheUnsealed.com about his

mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental hea ...

struggles.
https://theunsealed.com/how-i-turned-my-losses-into-lessons/] 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.

References

External links

Notre Dame Fighting Irish bio

Oakland Raiders bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atkinson, George 1992 births 2019 deaths African-American players of American football 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 Twin sportspeople American twins 21st-century African-American sportspeople