Ex-NFLer Napoleon Harris repels robbery, leads police to murder suspects

An unfortunate incident appears to have seen former NFL linebacker Napoleon Harris play a lead role in helping law enforcement track down a trio of murder suspects.

Harris, now a senator in Illinois, owns of a pair of pizza franchises in Oak Forest. While giving his delivery team a break for one particular house call earlier this month, Harris was allegedly attacked by four men after arriving to fulfill an order that turned out to be a sham.

At 6-foot-3, 250 pounds, though, the longtime athlete wasn't exactly the easiest of targets.

"They put a chokehold on the senator, but to no avail," spokesman Sean Howard explained, via CBS Chicago. "They were really trying to choke him to death, and he was just too strong. He out-powered all four of them. As they were all beating on him, one guy just went out of his way and really hit him hard, and Napoleon never moved. He just looked at him like Hulk Hogan, and from that the guys knew that we better get out of here, because we can’t get this guy down."

Harris called police after the incident and followed the attackers' truck.

Howard explained that blood registered to a missing man was found in the back of the vehicle after it was abandoned at a lumber yard, and that the man was later found dead in Georgia.

The three men linked to the murder were later tracked down and arrested, while the fourth is expected to be charged in connection with the alleged delivery attack.

Harris, a first-round pick in the 2002 draft, spent time with the Oakland Raiders, Minnesota Vikings, and Kansas City Chiefs across seven seasons in the NFL.

- With h/t to Pro Football Talk