Former NFL player, wife found dead in Minnesota home, police say

A former professional football player and his wife were found dead in their Minnesota home Wednesday, and police are searching for a 22-year-old man in connection with their deaths, police said.

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Barry Bennett. 63. was found by a friend in his Long Prairie home, Valley News Live reported. That person called 911, and police found the body of Carol Bennett in another room, the website reported.

Barry Bennett, a Minnesota native who was a defensive lineman for the NFL's New Orleans Saints, New York Jets and Minnesota Vikings from 1978 to 1988, was a physical education teacher in Long Prairie, the website reported.

"It hit hard this morning," Jon Kringen, superintendent for the Long Prairie Grey Eagle School District, told the Star Tribune. "Everyone was in shock when they heard. It's impossible to comprehend that this could happen. People are lost for understanding. … He and his wife were good people."

Officials with the Todd County Sheriff's Office said they are searching for Dylan Bennett, KMSP reported. Neighbors said he was the victims' youngest son, Valley News Live reported. Police did not disclose Dylan Bennett's relationship to the couple but did say he lived in the same home as the victims, the television station reported.

Dylan Bennett is believed to be driving a blue 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe SUV with a Minnesota license plate, KMSP reported.

Friends said Barry Bennett rarely talked about his NFL career.

"He never mentioned that he was a NFL player. When I found out I was like, 'What?' And it's because he was about the other person, making sure he was bringing out the best in them," Amy Middendorf, a family friend, told WCCO.

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