Hall of Fame running back Tony Dorsett diagnosed with signs of CTE
Degenerative brain disease that has been linked to head trauma strikes the Cowboys Hall of Famer.
In November 2013, Tony Dorsett got the news he had expected all along: tests showed that he had signs of chronic encephalopathy, the degenerative brain disease that has been linked to head trauma, depression, dementia and suicide in former NFL players.
He admitted then at the time that the news hit him “like a ton of bricks” and, since then, he has been dealing with the onset of symptoms every single day. Last week, the Dallas Cowboys’ Hall of Fame running back described his life in an interview with Dallas’ The Ticket radio (via DallasNews.com). Now, like so many other football players, Dorsett blaming himself for playing the game.
“I’m in a battle, obviously. I got diagnosed with CTE and it’s very frustrating at times for me,” he said. “I’ve got a good team of people around me, my wife and kids, who work with me. When you’ve been in this town for so long and I have to go to some place I’ve been going to for many, many, many years, and then all of a sudden I forget how to get there. Those things are frustrating when it comes to those things. I understand that I’m combating it, trying to get better. But, you know, some days are good. Some days are bad.
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“I signed up for this when, I guess, I started playing football so many years ago. But, obviously, not knowing that the end was going to be like this. But I love the game. The game was good to me. It’s just unfortunate that I’m going through what I’m going through. I’m in the fight, man. I’m not just laying around letting this overtake me. I’m fighting. I’m in the battle. I’m hoping we can reverse this thing somehow.”
Many former players — and President Obama — have expressed reservations about letting their kids play the game, but don’t count Dorsett among them.
“I would just be a little bit more concerned about certain injuries. When I was playing, my whole mentality was that if I could walk I’d play. Obviously there’s been a lot done for head injuries. They know a lot more about the brain and head trauma that can be created because of being knocked unconscious so many times. But yeah, the game is still a great game. I’d just be more careful and pay a bit more attention to some of the injuries that I got over the years. It’s football. It’s a very physically demanding sport on one’s body. And when you play football you sign up for that. It’s what you want to do. You like that contact. But, again, you just want to be taken care of if you become injured.”
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Dorsett admits that, like many fans and players, he dislikes some rules changes.
“It’s great to see that they’re trying to make the game safer now. Sometimes I look at some of the rules now and I’m like, ‘C’mon man. This is football.’ But the deal is it’s in the best interest of the players of today. There’s no question about it. To say if I’m totally happy with the NFL? I just can’t say I’m totally happy, but it’s good to see them making strides in the right direction.”
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