NFL & Dementia
This is Eleanor Perfetto being told by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell that she can’t come into a meeting of former players to discuss the alarming rise of early onset dementia among former NFL players who suffered multiple concussions. Eleanor’s husband, Ralph Wenzel was a lineman for the Steelers in the 70′s, who can no longer feed or bathe himself.
“We wives are the voice of players with dementia, because they can’t speak for themselves,” Perfetto said. “They are only allowing players healthy enough to attend. That means they’re getting a very slanted view of what it’s like out there.”
The NFL has put up some money to care for these players, but continues to deny that there is any connection between their multiple concussions and the fact that they have Alzheimer’s in their early 50′s.
What a crock.
What can one say? What’s needed to be said beyond the original post?
What can one say? What’s needed to be said beyond the original post?
There’s this to be said. I can find other subjects for my sympathy. A lot of NFL players have torn themselves up in other ways; many of them live in constant pain and are effectively wheelchair bound. And most of them insist that they’d gladly do the whole thing over again if they could.
My sympathy is limited when it comes to braggadocio headbashers who get millions per year and whine about not getting their fair share of the glory.
The NFL is a meatgrinder. But anyone who manages to get into it must surely know that.
There’s this to be said. I can find other subjects for my sympathy. A lot of NFL players have torn themselves up in other ways; many of them live in constant pain and are effectively wheelchair bound. And most of them insist that they’d gladly do the whole thing over again if they could.
My sympathy is limited when it comes to braggadocio headbashers who get millions per year and whine about not getting their fair share of the glory.
The NFL is a meatgrinder. But anyone who manages to get into it must surely know that.
Dan- I think you are perhaps a victim of a cleverly constructed media stereotype, and are missing the boat as to what many of these players made when they played, the pensions they are currently receiving, and the problems they face. From the Baltimore sun:
It’s not just the league’s pioneers who need help these days. Mike Siani played from 1972 to 1977 with the Oakland Raiders and from 1978 to 1980 with the Colts as a wide receiver. He seems typical of the majority of retired players.
At 56, Siani has no medical, dental or life insurance because he can’t afford the premiums. He gets just $492 a month in benefits because he took his pension early, at age 45. And he has to work two jobs, one as coach of a minor league indoor football team.
“People think, ‘Wow, you played in the NFL, you must be a millionaire,’ ” Siani said. “They don’t realize when I started playing in ’72, I made $22,000 as a first-round draft choice
At the end of the article they also profile 3 players who are currently affected by this:
SISTO AVERNO
Personal: 81 years old, living in Baltimore with his wife, Margaret, and daughter Dina.
Career: Played guard on offense and linebacker on defense in a five-year career (1950-1954) with the Baltimore Colts, New York Yankees and Dallas Texans.
Pension: $1,000 a month.
Issues: Has endured four-way heart bypass surgery, knee and hip replacements, a stroke and separate surgeries to clear out both carotid arteries in his neck.
Quote: “My father is not one to complain about anything,” said Dina Averno. “He’s from the old school. He played with dislocated shoulders. If he could walk, he’d still be working now.”
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON
Personal: 76, living in Fremont, Calif., with his daughter, Kathy Moppin.
Career: Played one year in the CFL, 12 in the NFL and finished with the Houston Oilers in the AFL in 1966. Rushed for 1,000 yards twice with the Pittsburgh Steelers and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1987.
Pension: Approximately $1,600 a month.
Issues: Has early-onset dementia and serious short-term memory problems. Also has a pacemaker and spends about $800 a month on a dozen different medications.
Quote: “My dad’s a great warrior,” said Moppin, a nurse. “He needs to be taken care of, and I feel bad he’s not taken better care of. I’m not making a lot of money. I know at some point, I will have to make a decision for a higher level of care.”
JOE PERRY
Personal: 79, living in Chandler, Ariz., with his wife, Donna.
Career: Played 14 years with the San Francisco 49ers and two with the Baltimore Colts. A 200-pound fullback, Perry rushed for nearly 10,000 yards and scored 513 points. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1969.
Pension: $1,489 per month from pre-1959 years and $167 for his last four years as a vested player.
Issues: Has pugilistic dementia and suffers from short-term memory loss.
Quote: “People expect Joe, because he’s in the Hall of Fame, to come and appear at [different functions] because he’s got money,” Donna said. “There’s no money. We’re on a fixed income, so we have to budget everything.”
Clearly, none of these men are millionaires.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/football/bal-sp.nfl702,0,6990509.story
Dan- I think you are perhaps a victim of a cleverly constructed media stereotype, and are missing the boat as to what many of these players made when they played, the pensions they are currently receiving, and the problems they face. From the Baltimore sun:
It’s not just the league’s pioneers who need help these days. Mike Siani played from 1972 to 1977 with the Oakland Raiders and from 1978 to 1980 with the Colts as a wide receiver. He seems typical of the majority of retired players.
At 56, Siani has no medical, dental or life insurance because he can’t afford the premiums. He gets just $492 a month in benefits because he took his pension early, at age 45. And he has to work two jobs, one as coach of a minor league indoor football team.
“People think, ‘Wow, you played in the NFL, you must be a millionaire,’ ” Siani said. “They don’t realize when I started playing in ’72, I made $22,000 as a first-round draft choice
At the end of the article they also profile 3 players who are currently affected by this:
SISTO AVERNO
Personal: 81 years old, living in Baltimore with his wife, Margaret, and daughter Dina.
Career: Played guard on offense and linebacker on defense in a five-year career (1950-1954) with the Baltimore Colts, New York Yankees and Dallas Texans.
Pension: $1,000 a month.
Issues: Has endured four-way heart bypass surgery, knee and hip replacements, a stroke and separate surgeries to clear out both carotid arteries in his neck.
Quote: “My father is not one to complain about anything,” said Dina Averno. “He’s from the old school. He played with dislocated shoulders. If he could walk, he’d still be working now.”
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON
Personal: 76, living in Fremont, Calif., with his daughter, Kathy Moppin.
Career: Played one year in the CFL, 12 in the NFL and finished with the Houston Oilers in the AFL in 1966. Rushed for 1,000 yards twice with the Pittsburgh Steelers and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1987.
Pension: Approximately $1,600 a month.
Issues: Has early-onset dementia and serious short-term memory problems. Also has a pacemaker and spends about $800 a month on a dozen different medications.
Quote: “My dad’s a great warrior,” said Moppin, a nurse. “He needs to be taken care of, and I feel bad he’s not taken better care of. I’m not making a lot of money. I know at some point, I will have to make a decision for a higher level of care.”
JOE PERRY
Personal: 79, living in Chandler, Ariz., with his wife, Donna.
Career: Played 14 years with the San Francisco 49ers and two with the Baltimore Colts. A 200-pound fullback, Perry rushed for nearly 10,000 yards and scored 513 points. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1969.
Pension: $1,489 per month from pre-1959 years and $167 for his last four years as a vested player.
Issues: Has pugilistic dementia and suffers from short-term memory loss.
Quote: “People expect Joe, because he’s in the Hall of Fame, to come and appear at [different functions] because he’s got money,” Donna said. “There’s no money. We’re on a fixed income, so we have to budget everything.”
Clearly, none of these men are millionaires.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/football/bal-sp.nfl702,0,6990509.story
I’m not a victim of a cleverly-constructed media stereotype. I understand that there is a large gap between the income of a handful at the top and the rest of the players down below.
I repeat: The NFL is a meatgrinder. If you don’t know that by the time you get into it, you’ve had your eyes closed and your fingers jammed into your ears.
Of the trillion or so problems facing the people of the United States, this one ranks, in my opinion, way way down on the list.
I’m not a victim of a cleverly-constructed media stereotype. I understand that there is a large gap between the income of a handful at the top and the rest of the players down below.
I repeat: The NFL is a meatgrinder. If you don’t know that by the time you get into it, you’ve had your eyes closed and your fingers jammed into your ears.
Of the trillion or so problems facing the people of the United States, this one ranks, in my opinion, way way down on the list.
Dan- Sorry but “braggadocio headbashers who get millions per year and whine about not getting their fair share of the glory” sounds like a bit of a stereotype to me. Also, as the article clearly notes, this problem is not limited to recent players, who might well be expected to have a more realistic view of the issues involved in a pro career, but is a huge problem for players from the 60′s and 70′s before things like pugilistic dementia were even a diagnosis.
Finally, your insistence that this is somehow the player’s own fault, and not important relative to the “trillions of other problems” is indicative of exactly the kind of thinking that has really made this country suck over the past 30 years. Rather than viewing all of these problems as separate, try looking at this problem as a symptom of a larger underlying pathology, that as one of the largest, richest nations in the world, we can’t even take care of our own elderly and infirm. The problem these players are having encompass lack of medical care, decent housing, dental care, quality of life issues that citizens all over the country are currently experiencing. In other words, though it might be hard for you to see, the fact that this subgroup of citizens is struggling with these issues does affect you, me and everyone else in this country.
Dan- Sorry but “braggadocio headbashers who get millions per year and whine about not getting their fair share of the glory” sounds like a bit of a stereotype to me. Also, as the article clearly notes, this problem is not limited to recent players, who might well be expected to have a more realistic view of the issues involved in a pro career, but is a huge problem for players from the 60′s and 70′s before things like pugilistic dementia were even a diagnosis.
Finally, your insistence that this is somehow the player’s own fault, and not important relative to the “trillions of other problems” is indicative of exactly the kind of thinking that has really made this country suck over the past 30 years. Rather than viewing all of these problems as separate, try looking at this problem as a symptom of a larger underlying pathology, that as one of the largest, richest nations in the world, we can’t even take care of our own elderly and infirm. The problem these players are having encompass lack of medical care, decent housing, dental care, quality of life issues that citizens all over the country are currently experiencing. In other words, though it might be hard for you to see, the fact that this subgroup of citizens is struggling with these issues does affect you, me and everyone else in this country.
OK you’re right. This country is in a shithole because I’m not worried about NFL veterans.
OK you’re right. This country is in a shithole because I’m not worried about NFL veterans.
Isn’t the real issue not the brain damage (hey, who knew?) but the state of denial that’s characterized the NFL’s response?
Saying ‘Pro football is a meat grinder’ may be stating the obvious. But so is noting that ‘joining the Marines could get you shot at’.
The point is that the Marines don’t leave their wounded on the field, so they can die alone or in enemy hands.
I know the NFL likes to compare their values to those of the military. Apparently, they’re kidding themselves about that as well.
Isn’t the real issue not the brain damage (hey, who knew?) but the state of denial that’s characterized the NFL’s response?
Saying ‘Pro football is a meat grinder’ may be stating the obvious. But so is noting that ‘joining the Marines could get you shot at’.
The point is that the Marines don’t leave their wounded on the field, so they can die alone or in enemy hands.
I know the NFL likes to compare their values to those of the military. Apparently, they’re kidding themselves about that as well.
I worked with Eleanor years ago on the Pine Ridge Indian reservation. Eleanor is a highly intelligent, driven, committed, woman with the courage of her convictions and the sad experience of watching someone she loves descend into helplessness. The pointless comments above about NFL players abusing their bodies in ways remote from multiple concussions on the field do not apply to Ralph. His diet and exercise regimen would have shamed even the most committed. Go Eleanor!
I worked with Eleanor years ago on the Pine Ridge Indian reservation. Eleanor is a highly intelligent, driven, committed, woman with the courage of her convictions and the sad experience of watching someone she loves descend into helplessness. The pointless comments above about NFL players abusing their bodies in ways remote from multiple concussions on the field do not apply to Ralph. His diet and exercise regimen would have shamed even the most committed. Go Eleanor!