‘The Enforcer’ Kenny Easley, Virginia Native, NFL Hall Of Famer, Dies At 66

By Zak Failla From Daily Voice

Virginia native Kenny Easley, a Pro Football Hall of Famer who later became a car dealership entrepreneur and arena football team owner, has died at 66.

The Chesapeake resident who went on to star as a stalwart defensive back for the Seattle Seahawks before a kidney disease cut his career short passed away on Friday, Nov. 14, the team and his family confirmed.

"An intimidating presence on the field during his Seahawks career, Easley earned the nickname The Enforcer as he patrolled Seattle's secondary in the 1980s, but off the field, he was a man of faith and a dedicated family man," the Seahawks posted, calling him "one of the greatest safeties in NFL history."

"A family man, a man of faith and an all-time great player, Easley will be missed by all that knew him and by Seahawks fans who filled the Kingdome cheering for No. 45." 

The hard-hitting safety played only seven years with Seattle, but his impact was immense.

Easley was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1984, was named to four straight first-team All-Pro teams (and a second-team in 1987), and was named to the Pro Bowl five times.

His number 45 was retired by the Seattle Seahawks, and he was named to their Ring of Honor in 2002. Easley was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 2017, a year after he underwent triple bypass surgery.

"The Enforcer" began his Hall of Fame speech in Canton by sharing a Bible verse he heard from pastor Tyrone Armstrong back home in Virginia.

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God, and watch what God can do for you," Easley said in his Hall of Fame speech. 

"Listen, He may not come when you want Him, but He's an on-time God. Thus, I have learned, in whatever state I am, to be content. You see, this joy I have tonight, the world didn't give it to me, and the world sure can't take it away."

Before his Hall of Fame career, Easley was reportedly one of the most sought-after high school recruits out of Virginia - and the country - before he landed with the UCLA Bruins in 1977.

There, the Oscar F. High School graduate was a three-time All-American selection and finished with several records at the school. His number was also retired by the Bruins.

He would later be named to both the UCLA and College Football Hall of Fame.

Easley was also a late-round pick in the 1981 NBA Draft, but ultimately chose to pursue professional football after being picked fourth overall by the Seahawks, though their relationship ended contentiously.

According to the Seahawks, after his career came to a premature end due to kidney failure, which he reportedly blamed, in part, on team doctors, Easley stepped away from the game for more than a decade, "feeling wronged by the franchise for how his career ended." 

He also filed a lawsuit against the team in the 1990s.

"But then his wife, Gail, asked him a simple question, which Easley relayed in 2017: 'How long can you hold a grudge? They've got a different owner, different doctors and trainers. All those people you believe injured you, they're gone,'" according to a statement released by the team.

That reunion led to his Ring of Fame induction and brought him back into the fold with the Seahawks.

"It was good that the reconciliation happened," Easley said in 2017. "To be honest, I never gave it much thought, because I was wallowing in my own anger. I thought I was done unfairly, it didn't have to happen what happened to me, and it took me a while to get over that."

"For 15 years, I didn't watch a football game," he added. "I never saw Cortez Kennedy play a single game, because from 1987 to 2002, the night that I went into the Ring of Honor, I had not seen an NFL football game in that entire time. In fact, any kind of football, because I had to divorce myself from it completely."

His wife said on Saturday, "Kenny always gave his all and held the game and his life at the highest standard." 

NFL Hall of Fame President and CEO Jim Porter said that Easley "would have been a dominant safety in any era." 

"Kenny possessed excellent ball skills, but make no mistake: His biggest strengths were his fearlessness and intensity," he continued. "If you had the ball as an opposing offensive player, he was going to hit you hard — and you were going to feel it for a while.”

According to the Hall of Fame, Easley’s high school coach in Virginia, Tommy Rhodes, described him as a “game changer.”

“When the game started, I told Kenny, ‘I’ll see you at halftime,’ because he kicked off, played quarterback, he kicked the extra points, he kicked off, he returned, he punted, he punt returned, and he played defensive back,” Rhodes said. “He didn’t come off the field unless it was halftime or the end of the game.”

Rhodes noted Easley’s strongest desire: to play defensive back.

“He wanted to hit people. He’s gonna get there, and he’s gonna get there in a hurry, and he’s gonna get there in a bad mood,” the coach said. “He was going to hit people hard, he’s going to cause fumbles, he's gonna intercept balls … He’s gonna be around the ball.”

In a social media post, his former team said that Easley "embodied what it meant to be a Seahawk through his leadership, toughness, intensity, and fearlessness." 

"A man of faith, Kenny will forever be remembered as a beloved member of the Seahawks, and his family and his legacy will live on as an inspiration to fans around the world," officials wrote.

"We extend our sincere condolences to his wife, Gail, and children, Kendrick, Gabrielle, and Giordanna.