Kyle Turley
Encyclopedia
Kyle John Turley is a former American football
offensive tackle of the National Football League
, and current American recording artist. He was originally drafted by the New Orleans Saints
seventh overall in the 1998 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at San Diego State.
In addition to the Saints, Turley also played for the St. Louis Rams
and Kansas City Chiefs
in his career before retiring after the 2007 season. He was an All-Pro
selection in 2000.
. The Saints were trailing the New York Jets
16-9 late in the fourth quarter, but were driving deep into opposition territory. After a scramble, quarterback Aaron Brooks was tackled at the four yard line where Jets defender Damien Robinson
viciously grabbed his facemask and started to bend Brooks backwards. Turley proceeded to grab Robinson's hand's and forced him to let go of Brooks, before picking him up by the facemask and tackling him to the ground as referees and players from both teams tried to separate them. Turley emerged from the ensuing scrum with Robinson's helmet and proceeded to fling it across the field before giving an obscene gesture. Robinson and Turley received off-setting personal fouls for the initial incident, but Turley was ejected from the game and assessed an additional personal foul penalty for the obscene gesture, costing the Saints any chance at tying the game. Saints head coach Jim Haslett
said he considered cutting Turley following the game but later rescinded his statement after discussing the incident with him and reviewing the game tape. Turley was ultimately fined $25,000 by the Saints Organization for conduct detrimental to the team while Robinson was fined $20,000 by the NFL. Turley said in his defense that he thought Robinson was about to break his quarterback's neck.
on March 21, 2003 in exchange for a 2004 2nd round draft choice. The Rams immediately signed Turley to a 5-year contract extension worth $26.5 million ($10 million signing bonus) in addition to the one year remaining on Turley's deal. With Orlando Pace
entrenched as the starting left tackle, Turley returned to the right side and started 16 games for St. Louis.
Turley's stormy and controversial career was interrupted in 2004 by injury woes. After recovering from offseason back surgery, Turley reinjured his back (August 2004) in training camp and ended up on the injured reserve
list. Both injuries were considered career-threatening.
On Dec. 13, 2004, Turley reportedly had a heated confrontation with Rams head coach Mike Martz
. The incident had to be investigated by league security as Martz contended that Turley 'threatened to kill him', a charge that would later be vehemently denied by Turley.
damage that also atrophied his right leg. After initially dropping 65 pounds from his 300-pound frame, Turley had gotten back to around the 265 mark in hopes of switching positions, possibly to tight end
, although some tight ends have weighed more than 300 pounds.
As the 2006 Chiefs season
ended, Turley had missed more than half of the season due to recurring injuries. Turley was released on March 21, 2007 and reportedly considered retirement. However, Turley was re-signed by Kansas City prior to its training camp in July 2007.
, where he set his sights on a music career. Turley started Gridiron Records with Tim Pickett. Other acts signed to Gridiron Records include Invitro, Unset, and The Hairbrain Scheme
. Turley was influenced by Heavy Metal music. He loved Pantera
and Slayer
while growing up. Other musical influences are Johnny Cash
and Hank III.
His debut album, Anger Management, was released by Gridiron Records in 2010. It was co-produced by Turley and Brandon Epps, and includes songs about his football career. He explains that the style of music "power country" is a mix of all rock sub genres and country genres. The track titled, "Anger Management," includes references to the helmet-throwing incident. Anger Management received critical praise since debuting in the top 200 Country albums on iTunes. Part of the proceeds from the album go to the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund a non-profit, 501(c) (3) corporation, established to provide financial assistance and coordinate social services to dire need retired NFL players who are pioneers of the game and have greatly contributed to the NFL's status as the most popular sport in America.
In addition to music, Turley has been a participant in several journalistic inquiries into the NFL's treatment of concussions and overall health of its players. His experiences dealing with the ramifications of his football-related injuries, specifically concussions, were featured prominently in Malcolm Gladwell
's October 2009 article in The New Yorker
. Turley was also a participant in ESPN
's investigation into the misuse of painkillers by former NFL players.
Turley has criticized former San Diego State coach Brady Hoke
for leaving after two seasons to accept the head coaching job at Michigan
. Soon after Hoke left in January 2011, Turley sent him a text message saying, "I hope you lose every damn game." The week of San Diego State's game at Michigan on September 24, Turley said that he was still angry at Hoke and hoped that San Diego State would beat Michigan so that "karma plays its role."
Turley has also appeared on Field and Stream's video series, "The Wild Life with Hank III."
After signing with booking agency, Creative Artists Agency, Turley planned a 2010 Fall tour set.
games, Turley is dedicating his tour to the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund. Gridiron Records announced that one hundred percent of online sales for his sophomore album single "Fortune and Pain" will go to the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund. Turley is also working with Chicago
based, charity minded public relations
firm Christopher Foltz & Company to raise awareness of both the Gridiron Greats and NFL injuries and post career struggles for retirees.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
offensive tackle of the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, and current American recording artist. He was originally drafted by the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
seventh overall in the 1998 NFL Draft
1998 NFL Draft
The 1998 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 18-19, 1998...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at San Diego State.
In addition to the Saints, Turley also played for the St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
and Kansas City Chiefs
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. They are a member of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Originally named the Dallas Texans, the club was founded by Lamar Hunt in 1960 as a...
in his career before retiring after the 2007 season. He was an All-Pro
All-Pro
All-Pro is a term mostly used in the NFL for the best players of each position during that season. It began as polls of sportswriters in the early 1920s...
selection in 2000.
New Orleans Saints
Turley is widely remembered for what occurred on November 4, 2001 in the Louisiana SuperdomeLouisiana Superdome
The Mercedes-Benz Superdome, previously known as the Louisiana Superdome and colloquially known as the Superdome, is a sports and exhibition arena located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana, USA...
. The Saints were trailing the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
16-9 late in the fourth quarter, but were driving deep into opposition territory. After a scramble, quarterback Aaron Brooks was tackled at the four yard line where Jets defender Damien Robinson
Damien Robinson
Damien Robinson is a former safety of the NFL. He played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Jets, and Seattle Seahawks. He attended college at the University of Iowa....
viciously grabbed his facemask and started to bend Brooks backwards. Turley proceeded to grab Robinson's hand's and forced him to let go of Brooks, before picking him up by the facemask and tackling him to the ground as referees and players from both teams tried to separate them. Turley emerged from the ensuing scrum with Robinson's helmet and proceeded to fling it across the field before giving an obscene gesture. Robinson and Turley received off-setting personal fouls for the initial incident, but Turley was ejected from the game and assessed an additional personal foul penalty for the obscene gesture, costing the Saints any chance at tying the game. Saints head coach Jim Haslett
Jim Haslett
James Donald "Jim" Haslett is an American football coach and former linebacker. He is currently the defensive coordinator of the Washington Redskins. Previously, he served as the head coach for the Florida Tuskers of the United Football League, and the New Orleans Saints and St...
said he considered cutting Turley following the game but later rescinded his statement after discussing the incident with him and reviewing the game tape. Turley was ultimately fined $25,000 by the Saints Organization for conduct detrimental to the team while Robinson was fined $20,000 by the NFL. Turley said in his defense that he thought Robinson was about to break his quarterback's neck.
St. Louis Rams
After rejecting a long-term contract extension with the Saints, Turley was traded to the St. Louis RamsSt. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
on March 21, 2003 in exchange for a 2004 2nd round draft choice. The Rams immediately signed Turley to a 5-year contract extension worth $26.5 million ($10 million signing bonus) in addition to the one year remaining on Turley's deal. With Orlando Pace
Orlando Pace
Orlando Lamar Pace is an American football offensive tackle who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams first overall in the 1997 NFL Draft. He played college football at Ohio State. Pace has started all 16 games eight times and blocked for three straight NFL MVPs...
entrenched as the starting left tackle, Turley returned to the right side and started 16 games for St. Louis.
Turley's stormy and controversial career was interrupted in 2004 by injury woes. After recovering from offseason back surgery, Turley reinjured his back (August 2004) in training camp and ended up on the injured reserve
Injured reserve
The injured reserve list is a list of reserved players who are injured and unable to play for a period of time, used most prominently in the National Hockey League and National Football League . It is used because these leagues have a maximum number of players on the team roster, so placing a...
list. Both injuries were considered career-threatening.
On Dec. 13, 2004, Turley reportedly had a heated confrontation with Rams head coach Mike Martz
Mike Martz
Michael Martz is a former NFL head coach and currently the offensive coordinator for the National Football League's Chicago Bears....
. The incident had to be investigated by league security as Martz contended that Turley 'threatened to kill him', a charge that would later be vehemently denied by Turley.
Injury
On June 6, 2005, Turley was released by the Rams and spent the entire 2005 season out of football due to the effects of sciatic nerveSciatic nerve
The sciatic nerve is a large nerve fiber in humans and other animals. It begins in the lower back and runs through the buttock and down the lower limb...
damage that also atrophied his right leg. After initially dropping 65 pounds from his 300-pound frame, Turley had gotten back to around the 265 mark in hopes of switching positions, possibly to tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
, although some tight ends have weighed more than 300 pounds.
Kansas City Chiefs
On June 11, 2006, it was announced that Turley signed a two-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs. Turley had regained his previous weight and had been so impressive in training camp that he had been expected to be the opening-day starting right tackle.As the 2006 Chiefs season
2006 Kansas City Chiefs season
The 2006 Kansas City Chiefs season began with the team looking to improve on their 10–6 record in 2005 under new head coach Herman Edwards.The team battled many obstacles during the 2006 season, including the loss of starting quarterback Trent Green in the first game, the readjustment of a...
ended, Turley had missed more than half of the season due to recurring injuries. Turley was released on March 21, 2007 and reportedly considered retirement. However, Turley was re-signed by Kansas City prior to its training camp in July 2007.
Career after football
After retiring from football, Turley moved to Nashville, TennesseeTennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, where he set his sights on a music career. Turley started Gridiron Records with Tim Pickett. Other acts signed to Gridiron Records include Invitro, Unset, and The Hairbrain Scheme
The Hairbrain Scheme
The Hairbrain Scheme is a band that formed in 2004. From an early age, the band demonstrated a unique flair for bizarre stage theatrics and morbidly delicious musical experimentation...
. Turley was influenced by Heavy Metal music. He loved Pantera
Pantera
Pantera was an American heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas. Formed by the Abbott brothers, Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell in 1981, bassist Rex Brown would join in late 1981 with vocalist Terry Glaze. Looking for a new and heavier sound, Pantera had Terry replaced in 1987 with Phil Anselmo as...
and Slayer
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band formed in Huntington Park, California, in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King. Slayer rose to fame with their 1986 release, Reign in Blood, and is credited as one of the "Big Four" thrash metal acts, along with Metallica, Megadeth and...
while growing up. Other musical influences are Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
and Hank III.
His debut album, Anger Management, was released by Gridiron Records in 2010. It was co-produced by Turley and Brandon Epps, and includes songs about his football career. He explains that the style of music "power country" is a mix of all rock sub genres and country genres. The track titled, "Anger Management," includes references to the helmet-throwing incident. Anger Management received critical praise since debuting in the top 200 Country albums on iTunes. Part of the proceeds from the album go to the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund a non-profit, 501(c) (3) corporation, established to provide financial assistance and coordinate social services to dire need retired NFL players who are pioneers of the game and have greatly contributed to the NFL's status as the most popular sport in America.
In addition to music, Turley has been a participant in several journalistic inquiries into the NFL's treatment of concussions and overall health of its players. His experiences dealing with the ramifications of his football-related injuries, specifically concussions, were featured prominently in Malcolm Gladwell
Malcolm Gladwell
Malcolm Gladwell, CM is a Canadian journalist, bestselling author, and speaker. He is currently based in New York City and has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 1996...
's October 2009 article in The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
. Turley was also a participant in ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
's investigation into the misuse of painkillers by former NFL players.
Turley has criticized former San Diego State coach Brady Hoke
Brady Hoke
Brady Hoke is the head football coach at the University of Michigan. He is in his first season. He grew up in Ohio and attended Ball State University where he played linebacker from 1977 to 1980...
for leaving after two seasons to accept the head coaching job at Michigan
Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines comprise 27 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except men's ice hockey which competes in the NCAA D1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association, and women's water polo, which...
. Soon after Hoke left in January 2011, Turley sent him a text message saying, "I hope you lose every damn game." The week of San Diego State's game at Michigan on September 24, Turley said that he was still angry at Hoke and hoped that San Diego State would beat Michigan so that "karma plays its role."
Music touring and appearances
Turley toured with Hank III in early Spring of 2010 to support the album "Anger Management."Turley has also appeared on Field and Stream's video series, "The Wild Life with Hank III."
After signing with booking agency, Creative Artists Agency, Turley planned a 2010 Fall tour set.
2011
In September 2011 Turley launched his Gridiron Tail Gate Tour. Playing tail gates and local venues at numerous NFL and college footballCollege football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
games, Turley is dedicating his tour to the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund. Gridiron Records announced that one hundred percent of online sales for his sophomore album single "Fortune and Pain" will go to the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund. Turley is also working with Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
based, charity minded public relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
firm Christopher Foltz & Company to raise awareness of both the Gridiron Greats and NFL injuries and post career struggles for retirees.