Former Dallas Cowboys running back and Hall of Famer Tony Dorsett was diagnosed with signs of Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy back in 2013. Tony has opened up and shared some of his thoughts about his ongoing fight with CTE.
CTE is a degenerative condition many scientist say is caused by trauma and is linked to dementia and depression. It is indicated by a buildup of tau, and abnormal protein that strands brain cells in a area that controls emotions, memory and other functions.
Tony stopped by 1310 The Ticket, and shared these comments.
“I’m in a battle, obviously. I got diagnosed with CTE and it’s very frustrating at times for me. 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. 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”.
It’s really sad seeing former players have to deal with this, we should just keep them all in our prayers.
Tony Dorsett is now 60-years old, he is the 1976 Heisman Trophy winner and is the eighth all-time leading rusher in the NFL.