Jason Hairston

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Jason Hairston (July 17, 1971 – September 4, 2018) was an American businessman and former NFL player who started Kuiu, a hunting gear company. He grew up in Southern California and shone as a defender at Foothill High School. He played college football at UC Davis and became a starting linebacker in 1993. In a junior playoff game, he broke his neck (C5–C6). He signed with the San Francisco 49ers as an unrestricted free agent in 1995, then joined the Denver Broncos before retiring in 1996. After football, he worked in commercial real estate and co-founded Sitka, a hunting gear brand, in 2005 with Jonathan Hart; Sitka was sold to Gore-Tex in 2009. In 2010, Hairston started Kuiu, aiming for about $50 million in annual sales by 2016. He was friends with Donald Trump Jr. and in 2017 became a liaison to the Interior Department and hunting groups on conservation and public lands. He and his wife Kirstyn had two children. Hairston died at his home in Dixon, California, on September 4, 2018; his death was ruled a suicide. Brain studies after his death found he had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a brain disease linked to repeated head injuries. He was one of many NFL players diagnosed with CTE after death.