Dave Duerson

[The Exploding Vole]

"Please, see that my brain is given to the NFL's brain bank."

When I was growing up, John Mackey was the best tight end in pro football. He died the other week; what a tragic end to his life, too.

[ursus arctos]

Dave Duerson

I've been meaning to start threads about both of these guys, and am really glad that Vole did.

Mackey was one of my favorite players during the relatively short period of my youth when I actually cared about the NFL, and without question one of the truly great sports labour leaders of all time.

Duerson's story is genuinely tragic, but one hopes that his sacrifice will ultimately ensure that others aren't condemned to go down the same road.

Hockey is beginning to recognise that there is a very serious issue here, but gridiron (especially at the youth and school level) is still in a near complete state of denial.

RIP, John.

RIP, Dave.

You will never be forgotten.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Dave Duerson

The NY Times link does not work, can you repost it?

Jeff Astle died from repeated heading of the old fashioned leather ball, all sports have dangers but the hidden ones need to be investigated much more thoroughly.

[ursus arctos]

Dave Duerson

Here's a more detailed story on Mackey from Dave Zirin.

In death, legendary Baltimore Colts tight end John Mackey will undoubtedly be remembered for how he played the game. The 6’ 2” 230 pounder who played from 1963-1972 set the standard for his position, combining speed and power like no tight end who had ever taken the field. As his former coach Don Shula told the Baltimore Sun, "Previous to John, tight ends were big strong guys like [Mike] Ditka and [Ron] Kramer who would block and catch short passes over the middle. Mackey gave us a tight end who weighed 230, ran a 4.6 and could catch the bomb. It was a weapon other teams didn't have." He was the second player at his position ever elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame and college football’s award for best tight end bears his name.

But in this 2011 season forever defined by the longest work stoppage in NFL history, the timing of Mackey’s death is in some ways his last selfless act toward the players he so dearly loved. John Mackey’s legacy lies less on the field, than in both his historic tenure as the head of the NFL Players Association from 1969-1973 and in the way he suffered from front temporal dementia over the last years of his life.

Mackey was the first president of the NFL Players Association following the NFL-AFL merger. Called “the smartest man in the room” by former Buffalo Bills quarterback and future Vice Presidential nominee Jack Kemp, he rapidly gained a reputation as someone who would stand up to NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle and fight for improved wages, benefits, and safety. He rallied disparate players from two different leagues to “one team” and the NFLPA became the first sports union recognized by the National Labor Relations Board. In 1970, Mackey organized the league’s first players' strike, a victory that earned an additional $11 million in pensions and benefits.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Dave Duerson

Thanks UA.

[Cal Alamein]

Dave Duerson

And one hopes that the new NFL agreement allows disabled vets to get decent treatment and benefits for the physical sacrifices they made for the game.

Mike Webster's story is another one that is truly tragic.
http://espn.go.com/classic/obit/s/2002/0924/1435977.html