Former NFL, Tide player Kevin Turner dies after battling ALS

FILE - In this April 9, 2013, file photo, former NFL player Kevin Turner, left, speaks as former players Dorsey Levens, center, and Bill Bergey listen during a a news conference in Philadelphia, after a hearing to determine whether the NFL faces years of litigation over concussion-related brain injuries. Turner, a former NFL and University of Alabama player, has died after battling Lou Gehrig’s disease, his father said in a statement Thursday, March 24, 2016. He was 46. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File) FILE - In this April 9, 2013, file photo, former NFL player Kevin Turner, left, speaks as former players Dorsey Levens, center, and Bill Bergey listen during a a news conference in Philadelphia, after a hearing to determine whether the NFL faces years of litigation over concussion-related brain injuries. Turner, a former NFL and University of Alabama player, has died after battling Lou Gehrig’s disease, his father said in a statement Thursday, March 24, 2016. He was 46. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

By Associated Press March 24, 2016 1 min read

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) – Former NFL and Alabama football player Kevin Turner has died after battling Lou Gehrig’s disease. He was 46.

Turner’s father released a statement on Facebook Thursday announcing the death of the former Crimson Tide fullback, which was also posted to the Kevin Turner Foundation’s website.

Turner helped lead the Crimson Tide to a national championship in 1992 and was drafted by the New England Patriots. Turner went on to play for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1995-1999 and was diagnosed with the neurological disease ALS in 2010.

After the diagnosis Turner served as president of the Kevin Turner Foundation, which seeks to show the connections between repeated brain trauma and ALS in athletes.

Crimson Tide athletic director Bill Battle lauded Turner’s spirit, toughness and courage in an emailed statement.