Timeline: The life and death of former Kansas City Chiefs player Junior Siavii
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Life, mysterious death of Kansas City Chiefs’ Junior Siavii
Junior Siavii came to Kansas City as a promising defensive tackle. His NFL career fizzled. He turned to drugs and crime. He was found unresponsive in a Leavenworth prison cell and pronounced dead at a local hospital in January. Did football play a role?
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The life and death of Junior Siavii: A timeline
Nov. 14, 1978
Junior Siavii is born in Pago Pago in American Samoa.
1997
Graduates from Tafuna High School, a star of the football team.
1998
Moves to Salt Lake City, Utah, hoping to play college football. But the enticement is a scam.
1999-2003:
Plays for various Western schools, including Dixie State College, Butte College and finally the University of Oregon.
April 24, 2004
The Kansas City Chiefs choose him to play defensive tackle with the 36th pick of the NFL draft.
Sept. 12, 2004
He debuts with the Chiefs in the season opener against the Denver Broncos. Later he suffers a sprain, misses four games and never starts that season.
Aug. 14, 2005
On a Saturday night during training camp, Siavii and teammate Greg Wesley are arrested during an altercation at a Minneapolis nightclub. He pleads guilty to a misdemeanor and must perform 80 hours of community service.
Aug. 2006
The Chiefs cut Siavii from the team. He does not play in the 2006, 2007 or 2008 NFL seasons.
2009
He signs with the Dallas Cowboys and plays 16 games, but is cut the next year.
2010
He signs with the Seattle Seahawks and plays his best NFL season, until a neck injury ends his career.
2011-2017
Back in Kansas City, health issues mount: anxiety, depression, chronic pain. He participates in a study on brain injuries and the effects of CTE on NFL players.
2018-2019
He is arrested several times in eastern Jackson County for offenses such as DWI, drug possession and resisting arrest, including leading officers on a high-speed chase.
Aug. 24, 2019
Armed with a handgun, he is tased three times while resisting arrest in Independence. He’s charged with three counts of being an unlawful drug user in possession of firearms. He is jailed with no bond.
November 16, 2019
Federal prosecutors add more charges, accusing him of conspiring to distribute methamphetamine. He is sent to a Leavenworth facility to await trial.
2020-2021
The complications of the pandemic, his additional charges, and extra time required for discovery related to potential CTE issues delay the trial. By the end of 2021, it is scheduled for June 2022.
Dec. 17, 2021
He is transferred to the U.S. Penitentiary in Leavenworth, still awaiting trial.
Jan. 13, 2022
Junior Siavvii is found unresponsive in his prison cell and is pronounced dead at a local hospital. He was 43.
March 13, 2022
Two months later, family and attorneys are still awaiting word on the cause of death.
This story was originally published March 13, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
