Former Lions defensive lineman Reggie Rogers was found dead in Seattle on Thursday according to a story in the Seattle Times. He was 49.

Rogers, a first-round pick of the Lions in 1987,had his career come to a premature end when he killed three teenagers after running a red light while driving drunk on Wide Track Avenue in Pontiac on Oct. 20, 1988.

His blood alcohol level was .15 when the limit at the time was .10.  He spent a year in prison.

Rogers broke his neck in the accident. The Lions waived him in July 1989.

He played a half-dozen games as a rookie due to emotional problems and five in 1988 prior to the accident.

He had brief stints with the Buffalo Bills (1991) and Tampa Bay Bucs (1992).

Rogers had been an All-American at the University of Washington in 1986 and played on the national championship team in 1984.

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