Sad. I just wonder why. He drove his car off a cliff last year but said that he fell asleep at the wheel. Looks like there were some ongoing issues.
I’m not defending the guy at all for taking his life. How would he know that he would have issues down the road from concussions. Had he left, then people would bitch that he bailed on his team when they needed him the most.
There is clearly something going on with ex-NFL players later in life. A scary proportion of them, especially the guys in the trenches that did the most hitting and being hit, just lose it. I wouldn’t be surprised if his brain comes back positive for CTE.
In the artical Progrocker posted, it mentioned how the one guy would play 18 plays in a row and not remember any of them. He would take hits that would have his eyes crossed for 5 plays and he would just keep going after the 3 guys in the middle until he heard the whistle. Crazy shit if you ask me.
I don’t feel bad for someone who commits suicide, as there is always a better answer (I feel bad for the family he left behind)…but a lot of times these people have an acutual illness, they are SO depressed they feel like the only way to make people happy around them is to end their life. I used to feel the same gt08vapor until I got educated and realized there’s a lot more behind suicide than just a weak mind.
either way RIP 
Well at least he didn’t go the Chris Benoit route.
See little do you know. I know all about brain injury. I have TBI, with 2 cysts growing on my brain that need to be monitored regularly. Broke several vertebra in my back, spent 8 months in a hospital and 3 years in rehab and therapy for my injuries. Have 8 1/2 years in the army, spent in the infantry and am medically retired from it. I have friends and that are parts of those statistics of ones that committed suicide. They were good guys but weak minded and took the easy way out. Nothing is worth taking your life, making your kids and family suffer. But i am just a nyspeed tough guy.
People kill themselves everyday, this one just happened to be famous.
My comment was more directed at Krant, but your right, I didn’t know your situation. Still, I don’t think anyone can pass judgement on the guy since none of us know his situation.
This.
I’m not one that feels sorry about suicide typically because I feel most depression is conditional not chemical. This guy had alot of head trauma and the military as pointed out often have trauma to explain their depression as well. Someone brought up the millions he made, do you think it was worth it now? Hell, most pro athletes end up broke because you really can’t take a nobody and shower them with money overnight expecting a good long term outcome. I wouldn’t be shocked if he was having financial issues actually…that was my first thought actually.
I do agree it’s the easy way out and pushes your pain on the people around you which isn’t fair. Just a sucky situation really, for all involved.
CNN has a good article about CTE for those who couldn’t make it through the New Yorker article posted earlier.
…snip… CTE has been found in the brains of 14 of 15 former NFL players thus far studied at the center. Their cases share a common thread – repeated concussions, sub-concussive blows to the head, or both. The picture beginning to emerge from these cases is that trauma could be causing brain damage.
Wait so getting hit in the head isn’t good for you?
you’re*
Think he said oww?
Everyone who had ever met him always said good things about him. It’s a shame it happened.
the guy was never on an injury list for a concussion…
i think more than anything else he was despressed…a lot of these guys are the center of attention in their world from high school through their 30’s and then when they leave they don’t know what to do with themselves it seems… they have everything for a short time and the smart ones figure out a way to live the rest of their lives living off that short time…others just don’t seem to be able to deal with it… i don’t feel sorry for them…there are plenty of people out their who have had nothing for their whole life and they seem to be able to keep it together…
It’s not like every sports player has to take an entire season off for a concussion like sydney crosby. Im sure every time you lead with a tackle you get a mini concussion. Making these stats up here, but… 5 tackles per game x16 x 20 = 1600.
The big ones aren’t the problem it is all the small ones over and over again.
I had what was described as a severe concussion when I was a kid- ran full speed into a block wall- and after spending a day in the hospital and two days on the couch I was perfectly fine although there is about a 12 hour window of time I just don’t remember…I was playing baseball again in 2 weeks and never had any kind of recurring symptoms.
The isolated big hit isn’t the issue but it can expose underlying problems that developed from the little hits. I was also told at the time that after you get 1 big concussion it is easier to get more with less impact later
^Hasnt anyone told you that running into walls is bad for you?
