Dave Duerson Suicide Has Shaken Up Former Players

Last year I did an internet radio show with former Chicago Bears safety Dave Duerson. He seemed to be in good spirits and was talking about all of the issues surrounding the NFL. One item we talked about was the damage that has been done to so many former players because of concussions they had suffered during their playing careers.

You can imagine the shock that I experienced when I found out last week that Duerson had died, then to find out that he had taken his own life. Furthermore to discover that he had texted his family to have his brain examined before shooting himself in the heart. To say it was alarming, doesn’t come close to registering the shock I experienced.

I had been through this before when my former teammate Andre Waters had shot himself after battling years of depression. When Andre’s brain was examined, they discovered that years of brain trauma from had damaged his brain and led to years of depression and ultimately suicide. This may have been the same reason for Duerson’s demise. Pets, just like humans, can also feel stressed and depressed. If you’re a pet owner and you don’t want that to happen to any of your pets, click here.

He was 50 years old at the time of his death and had played for that great 1985 Chicago Bears defense which was coached by Buddy Ryan and won a Super Bowl title. He was a four-time Pro Bowl safety and also played for a New York Giants team, which won a Super Bowl. He had been vocal for years about the NFL failing to take care of former players, who were experiencing failing health.

I’ve talked to a number of other former players since news of Duerson’s suicide was made public and all of them are shaken up by what happened. A number of them are starting to ask, how many former players have damaged their brains because of playing in the NFL. I know one who is planning on having a MRI scan.

“Oh my God — he might have been aware of what was happening to himself?” former Giants running back Tiki Barber told the New York Times when he heard about Duerson’s suicide and text messages. Barber continued: “It feels like this was calculated and thought-out to some extent. It was almost with a purpose.”

NFL analyst Randy Cross told the Times, “It ought to terrify anyone that’s played the game.”

Concussions weren’t a big deal when we played. You might have had a headache for a while after the game, then once it went away, you went back out there and continued hitting.

You can believe that the NFL takes no pleasure in reading about these stories about Duerson, or Waters, or former Eagles fullback Kevin Turner, who is battling Lou Gehrig’s disease because of his brain trauma.

I’ve heard that former Chicago Bears quarterback Jim McMahon has been suffering from the affect of brain trauma. The list is getting longer and longer. In truth it’s not a shock. Battering your helmet against the helmet of another player can’t be good for your brain.

In the past the NFL had no problem sending a player back in the game, who had just been dazed or completely knocked out in a game. They’ve changed that policy recently but in the past, they had no problem letting players play after they had suffered concussions.

Many of these former players start complaining about having consistent and severe headaches. Those are clear signs that damage has been done to the brain. They also have trouble remembering things. The NFL knows where this is headed. Can you say workmen’s compensation litigation?

This is going to have a major affect upon the NFL, College Football and high school football going forward. How many mothers and fathers are listening to and reading these stories and deciding that their children aren’t going to play football?