CALIFORNIA — Former NFL quarterback Erik Kramer shot himself in a failed suicide attempt Tuesday night.
LA County Sheriff’s Deputies were dispatched to a motel in Calabasas around 8 p.m. for a welfare check. Responding Deputies found Kramer with a non-life threatening gunshot wound.
Kramer’s former wife spoke to NBC News: …Marshawn Kramer, told NBC News Wednesday night that it was a suicide attempt, and said Kramer suffered years of depression that she believes was the result of his time in the NFL.
“He is a very amazing man, a beautiful soul, but he has suffered depression since he was with the Bears,” Marshawn Kramer said in a telephone interview. “I can promise you he is not the same man I married.”
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Kramer was not drafted by an NFL team, but did see action in 1987, when he played for the Atlanta Falcons as a replacement player during the NFL players strike. He would then spend some time in the CFL with the Calgary Stampeders. Kramer would return to the NFL in 1991, when he became a surprise starter for the Detroit Lions after injuries sidelined Rodney Peete. Kramer played in 13 games, led the Lions to a 12-4 record, their first playoff victory since the 1950s, and a trip to the NFC Championship Game.
Kramer’s nickname in Detroit was “Brass”, a media-friendly redaction of “Brass Balls“. The moniker apparently originated after Kramer called an audible on his first series as Lions’ quarterback, having just replaced the injured Rodney Peete. One Lions’ offensive lineman turned to another and said, “This guy’s got brass balls.” Kramer proved to be quite successful as a signal-caller in 1991 and the nickname stuck. His other nickname was “Cosmo”, which was due to him having the same last name as the character Cosmo Kramer from the popular TV show, Seinfeld.
Kramer was not able to keep his starting job for the next three years, however, sharing duties with Peete and Andre Ware. In 1994, he signed as a free agent with the Chicago Bears, and spent the next five years with the club. In his two full seasons as a starter (1995 and 1997), he was highly productive and passed for over 3,000 yards. Kramer currently holds the Bears’ single-season record for passing yards (3,838) and touchdown passes (29). Kramer signed with the San Diego Chargers in the 1999 offseason, but retired midseason due to a neck injury. (Though he also missed much of the 1996 season with a neck injury, the two injuries were unrelated.)
Kramer finished his 13 NFL seasons with 1,317 completions for 15,337 yards and 92 touchdowns, with 79 interceptions. He also rushed for 217 rushing yards and 5 touchdowns.
