G'day tribe! Yesterday I wrote the first part of my post on players who have suffered from CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy), a degenerative brain disease which is associated with repeated blows to the head and can only be officially diagnosed after death. You can check out the post here.
Today is part two of that post and below are five more players who have suffered the unfortunate fate.
Mike Webster
Hall of Famer Mike Webster won four Super Bowls with the Pittsburgh Steelers and is considered by many to be the best center in NFL history. The movie Concussion featuring Will Smith was made around the story of Webster's later struggles with CTE. It's also based on the true story of forensic neuropathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu who uncovered that Webster was living with CTE, the first former NFL player to be diagnosed with the disease.
The degeneration of Webster's brain was similar to that of a patient with Alzheimer's disease or dementia. After football Webster had major signs of depression, dementia, amnesia and acute pains. He was deteriorating to the point where he would pull his teeth out and super glue them back in and was also zapping himself with a Taser gun. Webster was living in his pickup truck or at train stations despite being offered accommodation. He died of a heart attack at the age of 50.
Ray Easterling
Ray Easterling spent his entire 8-season career with the Atlanta Falcons. At age 62 Easterling committed suicide after suffering clinical depressing from dementia. His autopsy revealed his brain was consistent with having CTE. A year before his death he and several other players filed a federal lawsuit in Philadelphia against the NFL and how it dealt with concussions. His attorney stated that the issues players faced was that they trained to lead in with their heads.
Chris Henry
A round three pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, Chris Henry played five seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals scoring 21 touchdowns. During his time in the NFL he was pulled over for speeding and found in possession of marijuana. He was also found guilty for driving without a valid drivers license and for concealment and aggravated assault with a fire arm. Henry was eventually waived by the Bengals in 2009 after punching a man in what he claimed was mistaken identity, resulting in his fifth arrest.
Henry was brought back by Bengals management later that year and while on the active roster, died at the age of 26 from injuries following a fall off the back of a moving truck which was driven by his fiancee during a domestic dispute. Henry's organs were donated and it saved the lives of four people. It was discovered that he had developed CTE which may have contributed to his behaviours off the field.
Dave Duerson
Dave Duerson was a football safety who played 11 seasons in the NFL. He is one of the greatest players for the Chicago Bears and he won Super Bowl XX with Chicago, and Super Bowl XXV with the New York Giants. He also held the record for most sacks in a season (7) by a defensive back, a record which stood for 19 years.
Duerson suffered 10 known concussions during his career. After football he owned three McDonalds restaurants in Louisville, Kentucky, but he began suffering memory losses and had erratic behaviour. He died from a self inflicted gunshot in 2011 at the age of 50. Duerson sent a final text to his family asking for his brain to be used for research. It was found following his death that he suffered from CTE.
Frank Gifford
Frank Gifford was an NFL champion in 1956, and an 8-time Pro Bowler. He played as a halfback and wide receiver for 12 years with the Giants, rushing for 34 touchdowns in addition to receiving 43 touchdowns. In 1960 he was knocked out on a passing play in one of the most notorious concussions in NFL history. It led to his initial retirement from football. Gifford would return after an 18 month absence and finally retired in 1964. Post-career, Gifford was a commentator and play-by-play announcer on ABC's Monday Night Football and he was also an actor. At the age of 84, Gifford passed away from natural causes and it was revealed that he had CTE.
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Wolfgang Sport started in 2017 as a way to connect my passion for American and British sports. Today it's evolved into a blockchain sports blog pushing the boundaries into the crypto world and embracing Web3 technologies.