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"I got in the end zone!" *

Rah Rah Sis-Boom-Bah

We all probably thrill, we members of the Mt. Hope contingent of Patriot Nation, when our New England Patriots compete each year for a chance to go to the Super Bowl and become champions. The flip side of that coin reveals the price some former football players must pay for their time in the game and the paltry way the league looks after their own. Early onset dementia, caused by repeated head trauma, plagues many former football players.

A riveting story in the Times tells of two such men, one a Hall of Famer, the other a journeyman, who were once teammates, yet do not even recognize each other.

Hopefully the following link works or simply Google the title. Wives Burdened by Ex-NFL Player's Dementia, by Alan Swarz

The NFL, a billion dollar a year industry (is that without all the dollars gambled each week?) and the Player's Union both refuse to recognize this medical problem as football related, yet they have finally agreed to contribute approximately $88,000 a year toward these disabled veterans health care.

You may have read recently of former Patriot standout Ted Johnson who basically accused Bill Belichick and his staff of forcing him to play after receiving back to back concussions the same week. He has subsequently lost everything, his money, his marriage, and his ability to work, and Johnson is only in his early thirties. Johnson documents his story in the Jackie MacMullen article in the Boston Globe, I don't want anyone to end up like me!

Click the link and read about these two men and their wives's battle to get the NFL and the Players Union to recognize the devastating and lingering effects of head trauma. Then read Ted Johnson's sad tale.

It should change the way you view the game and the high regard some hold for these so called genius coaches.

* "I got in the end zone!" -- John Mackey, NFL Hall of Famer and victim of dementia.

Posted at March 16, 2007 1:04 PM

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