Fred Lane

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Fred Lane
Date of birth	September 6, 1975
Place of birth	Franklin, Tennessee
Date of death	July 6, 2000
Position(s)	Running back
College	Lane
Statistics	Pro Football Reference DatabaseFootball
Team(s)
1997-1999	Carolina Panthers

Freddie Brown Lane, Jr. (September 6, 1975 – July 6, 2000) was an NFL running back, who played for the Carolina Panthers.

1 Upbringing and High School career
2 College career
3 Pro career
4 Death
5 External links

[edit] Upbringing and High School career

Lane was born and raised in Franklin, Tennessee. His father, Fred Lane, Sr., was a star at the old Natchez High School (which latter desegregated with Franklin High). Attending Franklin Junior High School, it was noticed that Lane possessed uncommon speed and agility for such a young player.

Lane attended Franklin High School, amassing over 1,000 yards his senior year, while averaging 7.5 yards per carry. His number, 28, is retired by the school.

[edit] College career

Lane attended Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee. He finished his career with 3,612 rushing yards. In addition, he finished second his senior year for the NCAA Division II rushing title.

[edit] Pro career

Lane was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Panthers before the 1997 NFL season. He set a team record that year with a 147 rushing yard performance; the record has since been eclipsed. During his three years with the Panthers, he accumulated 2,001 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. His six games of 100+ rushing yards is tied for second all-time on the team, and his total rushing yards over three seasons remains second all-time. However, he began having personal problems in 1999. He was suspended by the Panthers for off-field issues. In April 2000, his wife Diedra filed a complaint against him for domestic violence. Shortly thereafter, he was traded to the Indianapolis Colts, where he was set to back up Edgerrin James.

[edit] Death

However, Lane never got the opportunity to play for the Colts. On July 6, 2000, just days after an indictment by a Tennessee grand jury on drug charges, he was shot by his wife Diedra during a domestic dispute. Law enforcement investigators believe Lane shot her husband moments after he arrived at their Mecklenburg home for the $5 million dollars in life insurance he carried.

Diedra was not charged with first degree murder because the prosecutor believed the jury would see Fred as a stereotypical pro athlete - one who the jury might see as a man that could abuse his wife. Believing that they would not be able to get a conviction from the jury on a murder charge, she instead entered a plea of guilty to manslaughter, a lesser charge. The Judge gave her the maximum, 8 years in prison. She was credited with 3 years of time served for previous bank larceny convictions. She will be eligible for parole in 2009.