FATAL END

Ex-NFL Player Found Dead in Prison While Awaiting Trial

Saousoalii “Junior” Siavii was arrested in 2019 for drugs and weapons possession.

A former NFL player awaiting trial on illegal weapons charges died in prison Thursday, The Kansas City Star reported. Saousoalii “Junior” Siavii was found unresponsive in his cell at the U.S. Penitentiary in Leavenworth and was later pronounced dead at a hospital. A cause of death has not been released. The Bureau of Prisons said no staff were injured. Siavii was a second-round pick for the Chiefs in 2004, where he served as a defensive tackle for two years before he was cut in 2006. He later floated between the Dallas Cowboys and the Seattle Seahawks before being released due to injury in 2011. He was arrested in 2019 after several instances where he was found in possession of illegal drugs and loaded weapons, and officers had to tase him to take him into custody.