when Gaye unsuccessfully tried out for the Lions in 1970. Barney and teammate Mel Farr sang background vocals on Gaye's classic 1971 song "What's Going On". In 2015, Barney was invited to sing the national anthem at the Pro Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Barney also had a brief acting career, beginning with a self-portrayal in the 1968 comedy, Paper Lion. In 1973, he was one of the stars of the blaxploitation biker film, The Black Six''. Family and later years Barney and his wife, Martha, had a daughter, LaTrece, and a son, Lem III. After retiring from the NFL, Barney worked for many years, starting in 1979, in public affairs for Michigan Consolidated Gas Company. He also worked in the 1980s as a football broadcaster on BET and on pre-season games for the Detroit Lions. In March 1993, after his car crashed into a guardrail on a Detroit freeway, Barney was arrested and charged with driving under the influence and possession of cocaine and marijuana. He was found not guilty of the drug charges following a jury trial in 1994. In 2006, Barney published an autobiography titled, "The Supernatural: Lem Barney". He held a public relations post at the Detroit Medical Center starting in 2006. After being fired from that position, he filed an age discrimination lawsuit in 2013. Also in 2013, Barney publicly declared that, in light of revelations about brain injuries resulting from football, he would not play football if he had the chance to live his life over again and predicted that the game of football would be gone in another 20 years. References External links 1945 births Living people American football cornerbacks American football return specialists American football punters Detroit Lions announcers Detroit Lions players Jackson State Tigers football players National Conference Pro Bowl players National Football League Defensive Rookie of the Year Award winners National Football League players with retired numbers Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees Western Conference Pro Bowl players Methodist ministers Sportspeople from Gulfport, Mississippi Players of American football from Mississippi