Former New York Jets defensive tackle Abdul Salaam, a member of the famed New York Sack Exchange in the early 1980s, died Tuesday after battling multiple health issues, his widow, Debbie, told ESPN on Wednesday. He was 71.
Salaam played for the Jets from 1976 to 1983, emerging as a run-stopping tackle on the four-man front that terrorized quarterbacks. Linemates Mark Gastineau, Hall of Famer Joe Klecko and Marty Lyons greater fame than Salaam, but he was widely respected as a quiet, stabilizing presence.
"I feel like I lost my best friend," Gastineau told ESPN.