Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Albert Lewis reportedly hospitalized in critical care
By Matt Conner
Former Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Albert Lewis remains hospitalized but there’s reason to be optimistic moving forward.
UPDATE: Casey from KSLA is reporting that former Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Albert Lewis still remains hospitalized in Shreveport, La. in critical care on Thursday with an “undisclosed illness” but that he is responsive saying he’s “sitting up and speaking.”
On Wednesday, Viera first reported the hospitalization, where he’s been since Monday evening. Viera notes they’re taking further tests on Thuresday.
Lewis is a native of Mansfield, Louisiana who stayed in state to play college football at Grambling State, where he was a major star. Shreveport is due north of Mansfield by about 37 miles, so it could be safe to presume that Lewis was at home when he fell ill.
Lewis, who is now 57-years-old, was the Chiefs third round pick in the 1983 NFL Draft and went on to play in 150 games in Kansas City, starting 128 of them. He made four Pro Bowls, all for the Chiefs, during his 16-year NFL career and was named to the team’s Hall of Fame in 2007.
Together with Kevin Ross, the Chiefs employed one of the NFL’s most feared cornerback tandems during the ’80s with Lewis securing one of the outside spots in the secondary. He would go on to play 11 years in K.C. and another five years with the Oakland Raiders. From ’83 to ’98, Lewis remained a productive starter until the very end with a longevity rarely seen in the NFL these days. Lewis finished his career with 42 interceptions, 13 fumble recoveries, 832 total tackles, 12.5 sacks and 13 forced fumbles.
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We recently wrote about Lewis’s greatness in our series on the best Chiefs to ever wear the uniform. When it came time to get to Lewis’s number of 29, it was unfortunate that Eric Berry also occupies that spot but that didn’t stop us from fawning over Lewis all the same. Such productivity and longevity is very, very hard to find.