Montgomery Advertiser, Ala., Duane Rankin column
"I was fortunate," Bruce said. "I was blessed. My career did not end like I wanted it to, but I have my health. I have my mind. I don't have anything artificial on me. I don't have extreme headaches. I still work out. I still jog. I still run. Not as much, but there aren't any life-threatening injuries."
That doesn't mean the top overall pick in the 1988 draft out of
"They really need help now," Bruce said. "Once you're finished playing, the
In 2017, Forbes provided the worth of every
Buffalo is at the bottom -- at
Dallas stands at the top -- at
Twenty-one
While there are pension plans and benefits for retired players regarding joint replacement, spinal treatment and neurological care as well as Medicare supplements and life insurance, Bruce believes the coverage should be the very best for retired players because the
"Some companies don't have the amount of the money the
To Bruce, the players risked it all for the game and the
"We were so vibrant and running and having fun and enjoying the sport," Bruce said. "Now some of them can't talk, can't walk and can't get out of the bed and can't feed themselves. It's sad that the sport we grew up loving as kids and would play it for free as kids and get to the ultimate level, and when it's done, they throw you away."
Treatment vs. payment
The
As of Monday, nflconcussionsettlment.com lists 1,776 claim packages having been received and paid out a total of
The money is one thing.
"They need more treatment and help in regards to their health and their post-concussion syndromes," said the 61-year-old Davis, a
"Everybody is talking about the lawsuit, but if you give a guy a million dollars and he can't even remember his name, what good is that going to do? Guys need treatment."
The situation really hit home with Bruce when he watched an
"That type of stuff hurts me, man," said Bruce, who was Dixon's teammate in 1993 with the then-Los Angeles Raiders. It was Dixon's last
Some researchers have linked ALS, also known as
Now 51 years old, Dixon can't do anything on his own as he's restricted to his bed and wheelchair.
"I didn't know Rick was in that type of situation," Bruce said. "I couldn't believe it."
No doubts
Davis is certain he has brain damage.
"I know for sure," he said. "A guy can say he's OK and try to look good to the public, but the real deal is, there's no way you can take that kind of punishment and not have some brain damage."
When Davis played, fullbacks had one job: Take out the defender head first to clear a path for halfbacks.
"That's a concussion position," the former Alabama star said. "The things fullbacks did when I was playing, they'd lock you up for that today."
Last year, the
Considering the "concussion position" he played, Davis seems fine, but believes the
"They should do more to help these players so they can live somewhat of a normal life," he said.
Like Dixon, the late
Turner, a Prattville graduate who like Davis played fullback at Alabama and in the
"I really believe that had I not played all those years, that I wouldn't have this condition," Turner said in a 2013 interview with
The 74-year-old agrees the
"It's like being in a race car and having it crash," Neville said. "You took the option of being in that race. You knew it was possible that could happen."
Unfortunate examples
Turner was a lead plaintiff on the concussion-related lawsuit filed by more than 5,000 former players who included Davis and fellow
An Auburn All-American receiver and first-round pick in 1972, Beasley, 66, is bed ridden and has short seizures daily, CNN reported in 2016.
"He has trouble speaking," said Beasley's wife, Marlene. "Terry gets injections for the pain, but it never goes away. He sleeps for a couple hours when he can until the pain gets so bad that it wakes him up."
Bruce greatly sympathizes with those wives like Beasley's who are taking care of their
"I know they're trying to change rules now and change helmets," Bruce said. "All that is fine, but what about these players that have to depend on other people like their wives. To dress them. To wash them. Take them places. That's hard on anybody."
Having only played three
"It's going to help us buy the medicines he needs, get the physical help he needs from remodeling our house to make it handicap accessible to having someone with him 24 hours a day," she said to
* Players diagnosed with ALS -- Up to
* Relatives of former players who died with CTE -- May receive
* Players with Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's --
* Players with a neurocognitive impairment such as moderate dementia --
* Players with an impairment like early dementia --
"Curtain No. 3"
Still, Davis is more concerned about the treatment, especially seeing when former
"You'll see that they damaged that frontal lobe," Davis said in talking about an area of the brain that, according to neuroskills.com, is involved in motor function, problem solving, spontaneity, memory, language, initiation, judgment, impulse control and social and sexual behavior.
"Nobody wants to talk about that, but you will see they have brain damage," Davis added.
The 5-foot-7 Meggett played 10
"Nobody knows what's behind Curtain No. 3," Davis said. "All people see is Curtain No. 1, when a guy is on TV and he's playing and he's looking good and scoring touchdowns."
Davis said he's been doing daily meditation for seven years and believes it has benefited his health.
"If you've got stress, stress, stress and a damaged brain, that's an issue," Davis said.
Davis brought up
In a 2011 GQ article, McNeill didn't blame the
"I don't think you can get angry if no one could have anticipated that this was going to happen," said McNeil, who played 12 seasons for Minnesota. "The only thing is, OK, there is a problem now.
"So, it's not looking at the owners and saying you're bad people. It's saying: 'Here's the situation. Now take care of it. You can't say you can't afford it.'"
For Davis, that it should include treatment.
"A lot of guys got it and don't even know they have it because it's your brain," Davis said. "It's your brain. You can't treat yourself."
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