Kyle Turley

American football player (born 1975)

Kyle John Turley (born September 24, 1975) is a former American football offensive tackle who played nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Selected 7th overall in the 1998 NFL draft, Turley played five seasons for the New Orleans Saints and a year with the St. Louis Rams before a serious back injury sidelined him for the 2004 and 2005 seasons. He returned to football in 2006 as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs, where he spent the last two years of his career before announcing his retirement in December 2007. Turley's high level of play earned him All Pro honors for the 2000 season and a Pro Bowl invite following the 2001 season. His career is best remembered by many for a 2001 incident in which he ripped off an opposing player's helmet and tossed it downfield, playing a key factor in his team losing the game but also earning the respect of many Saints fans for his defense of the quarterback. Turley played college football at San Diego State. Following his retirement from football, Turley set out on a music career that included the release of several albums and the launch of his own record label. Playing his "power country" style of music, Turley opened for a number of well known musical acts, including in 2010 when he went on tour with Hank Williams III. Turley has also been outspoken and involved in a number of player health issues post retirement, particularly in regards to the neurological problems resulting from his football career (early onset Alzheimer's, CTE symptomatic, seizures, vertigo) and his use of cannabis as treatment. Turley is a board member and active supporter of the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, an organization providing medical care and other forms of assistance to retired NFL players in dire need.

Turley was born in Provo, Utah. earning first team all league honors a 17 year veteran of the NFL who played in four Super Bowls. He was also twice named All Western Athletic Conference first team during his time at SDSU. Turley was inducted into the Aztec Hall of Fame in 2011. Initially not projected as a high first round pick, Turley's draft stock rose dramatically after turning in a stellar 4.93 seconds for the 40 yard dash at the NFL combine. Turley's performance caught the eye of then Saints coach Mike Ditka, and the team subsequently made him the first offensive linemen selected in the 1998 draft. Turley played a total of five seasons for the Saints, making an immediate impact by starting 15 games his rookie season and earning all rookie honors from Pro Football Weekly, Football News, and Football Digest. Turley would prove to be a versatile player as well, starting mostly at left guard his rookie season, then moving to right tackle the next three seasons, and over to left tackle in 2002. During his time in New Orleans, Turley became a fan favorite for his spirited style of play and colorful personality. with many Saints fans lining up to buy his jersey afterwards. Amongst players in the league, Turley came to be known by some as a dirty player due to his frequent use of cut blocks and ambushing of unsuspecting defenders. Turley's football career is best remembered by many for an on field altercation that occurred in a game against the New York Jets on November 4, 2001. Trailing 16–9 in the final minute of the game, the Saints were driving deep into opposition territory with the ball at the 6 yard line on second and 3. After quarterback Aaron Brooks was tackled on a scramble to the 5 yard line, Jets safety Damien Robinson grabbed him by the facemask and bent his body backwards while twisting his head to the side. Turley stepped in and separated the two, then picked up Robinson by the facemask and threw him to the ground as referees and players from both teams tried to break up the scrum. Many Saints fans applauded Turley's actions on the other hand, setting up a "Kyle Turley Defense Fund" to assist in payment of the fine and putting up "Turley for mayor" signs around the city. He was immediately signed to a 5 year, $26.5 million extension (in addition to the one year remaining on his contract), making Turley the fourth highest paid offensive lineman in the league. With future hall of famer Orlando Pace already entrenched at the starting left tackle position, Turley moved to the right side and started all 16 regular games plus the single playoff game of the Rams 2003 season. (as Turley would later attest in a January 2010 congressional hearing on the NFL's handling of concussions). Turley underwent surgery to repair a herniated disc in March 2004. He re aggravated the injury during training camp and was placed on injured reserve on August 28, ending his season. Turley ruled out a second surgery on his back and opted for a long rehabilitation instead, during which his weight dropped to 235 pounds from a normal playing weight of 310. No disciplinary action was taken as a result, but Turley admitted that hard feelings lingered. He was released by the Rams on June 6, 2005, however, after failing a physical. He ended up spending the entire 2004 and 2005 seasons out of football, continuing his recovery and training for a return in 2006. Turley signed a two year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs on June 13, 2006, where he would compete for a starting job at the right tackle position. He started the first two games of the season, but recurring back problems and a shoulder injury late in the season ended up limiting him to 7 starts in 7 games played. Turley was released by the Chiefs in March 2007, but re signed to a new one year contract on July 26, 2007. Turley's health would again be an issue during the season, however, as he dealt with hamstring, ankle, and back problems. He started 5 of 7 games played in and ended the season on injured reserve.

Turley's passion for music began early in life, taking up the guitar at age 14. He listened to punk, grunge, and metal growing up as a teenager in southern California, and was also exposed heavily to country music from being around his father. During his football career Turley played in a number of bands in the offseason, including various cover bands and a death metal band named Perpetual Death Mode. He also jammed with other NFL players, and learned to play bass and drums.

Turley retired from football with an addiction to pain killing drugs. He has criticized the manner in which painkillers are dispensed by medical staff in the NFL, stating that pills were handed out to players "like candy" after games. Turley also says team doctors gave him painkillers while concealing the true nature of a serious back injury in 2003, in an effort to keep him on the playing field until season's end.

Turley uses cannabis to treat the neurological issues that he suffers from post NFL career. He credits cannabis with greatly improving his quality of life and even saving his life, after previously relying on numerous prescription medications with side effects that he says almost drove him to suicide. Turley completely eliminated his use of pharmaceuticals – including psychiatric and pain killing drugs – beginning in early 2015 when he went cold turkey and switched to cannabis only. The organization is also involved with medical cannabis research, commencing a study in 2016 to examine the effectiveness of cannabis in treating chronic pain and depression. The letter was penned by Doctors for Cannabis Regulation and signed by several other NFL players. Turley is also a member of the Doctors for Cannabis Regulation NFL steering committee. In January 2017 Turley announced the launch of Neuro Armour (now Neuro XPF), a THC free cannabis oil that is rich in cannabidiol (CBD) and various terpenes. In March 2020 he opened a cannabis dispensary in Moreno Valley, California, operating under the Shango brand of dispensaries. Turley received criticism in March 2020 for claiming his CBD products could cure COVID 19 by boosting the immune system. The Food and Drug Administration advised him to cease making such claims on official materials from his CBD business or else he would be subject to legal action. He immediately complied with the request.

Turley is a board member and active supporter of the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, a non profit 501(c)(3) organization providing medical care and other forms of assistance to retired NFL players in need. Turley first became involved as an active player in 2007 when he pledged one of his game checks to the fund and challenged other players to do the same, many of whom joined in helping to raise several hundred thousand dollars. Announcing his pledge at a November 2007 press conference, Turley spoke of the debilitating football related health problems and inadequate medical and pension benefits that many retired players face, a topic that had already been the focus of two congressional hearings earlier in the year. Turley became the first active player to publicly take up the cause, also taking NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw to task at the time for failing to address the issue. Through his involvement with Gridiron Greats, Turley was instrumental in the development of NFL Life Line, a 24/7 confidential crisis hotline for current and former NFL players. Turley conceived of the idea after Junior Seau committed suicide in May 2012.