Neurological disorders
Family says former Cowboys player, NFL head coach Dan Reeves has died at the age of 77 of complications from dementia

Jan. 01, 2022 09:39 AM EST
ATLANTA (AP) — Family says former Cowboys player, NFL head coach Dan Reeves has died at the age of 77 of complications from dementia. ...

FILE - Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Vincent Jackson warms up before taking on the Denver Broncos in an NFL football game Oct. 2, 2016, in Tampa, Fla. Researchers diagnosed former NFL player Jackson, who was found dead in a Florida hotel room in February 2021, as suffering from stage 2 chronic traumatic encephalopathy. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken, File)
Study: Former NFL receiver Vincent Jackson had stage 2 CTE

Dec. 16, 2021 04:41 PM EST

FILE - New England Patriots linebacker Junior Seau (55) warms up on the field on Jan. 10, 2010, before an NFL wild-card playoff football game in Foxborough, Mass. NFL player turned broadcaster Ross Tucker will wear shoes showing an image of a traumatized brain and a portrait of Seau to raise money for the families of players who suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)
His Cause: NFL broadcaster's shoes will show damaged brain

By Jimmy Golen Dec. 03, 2021 04:58 PM EST

Former Raiders fullback Steve Smith dies at age 57

Nov. 20, 2021 08:00 PM EST
HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — Former Raiders fullback Steve Smith has died after a long battle with Lou Gehrig's Disease. He was 57. The Raiders...

FILE - In this Dec. 13, 2016, file photo, former Boston College baseball captain Pete Frates smiles after he was presented with the annual NCAA Inspiration Award at his home in Beverly, Mass. Dozens of items of sports memorabilia collected by Peter Frates, whose battle with Lou Gehrig’s disease helped spread the ALS ice bucket challenge, are being auctioned to help people still fighting the disease. Proceeds from the online auction that started Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2020, will benefit the Pete Frates Family Foundation, which assists ALS patients and their families with the cost of home health care, his father, John Frates, told The Salem News. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)
Possessions of man behind ice bucket challenge up for sale

Nov. 04, 2021 02:36 PM EDT

NFL agrees to end race-based dementia testing in proposal to settle concussion claims that have paid nearly $1 billion

Oct. 20, 2021 07:40 PM EDT
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — NFL agrees to end race-based dementia testing in proposal to settle concussion claims that have paid nearly $1 billion. ...

FILE - In this Nov. 19, 2014, file photo, NFL lawyer Brad Karp leaves federal court after a hearing on the proposed NFL concussion settlement, in Philadelphia. Lawyers for the NFL and retired players filed proposed changes to the $1 billion concussion settlement on Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021, to remove race-norming in dementia testing, which made it more difficult for Black players to qualify for payments. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
NFL, players agree to end 'race-norming' in $1B settlement

By Maryclaire Dale Oct. 20, 2021 01:05 AM EDT

FILE- In this June 16, 2014, file photo, former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman Tunch Ilkin, right, hugs Mike O'Donnell, the brother of former Steelers quarterback Neil O'Donnell, as they arrive for a viewing for former Pittsburgh Steelers head football coach Chuck Noll in Pittsburgh. Ilkin, a Turkis-born two-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1980s who went on to become a beloved member of the organization's broadcast team, died on Saturday morning, Sept. 4, 2021, the team said. He was 63. Ilkin, who revealed last fall he was fighting amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease), had been hospitalized recently with pneumonia. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)
Former Pro Bowl lineman, broadcaster Tunch Ilkin dies at 63

By Will Graves Sep. 04, 2021 02:37 PM EDT

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce catches a pass at NFL football training camp Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021, in St. Joseph, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Almanac has nearly 500 pages of analytics and analysis

By The Associated Press Aug. 27, 2021 04:02 PM EDT

Brittany Bowlen speaks during a news conference to raise awareness of Alzheimer's disease outside the Denver Broncos' headquarters Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021, in Englewood, Colo. Both Pat Bowlen, the deceased owner of the Broncos, and now his wife, Annabelle, have dealt with the disease. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Aiding Alzheimer's Association personal for Broncos, Bowlens

By Arnie Stapleton Aug. 18, 2021 03:00 PM EDT

Longtime Steelers broadcaster Ilkin retiring to fight ALS

Jun. 03, 2021 10:22 AM EDT
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Longtime Pittsburgh Steelers radio analyst Tunch Ilkin is retiring to focus on his fight against ALS. Ilkin, who played...

FILE - This Sunday, Sept. 23, 2007, file photo shows Pittsburgh Steelers' Najeh Davenport in Pittsburgh. The NFL on Wednesday, June 2, 2021, pledged to halt the use of “race-norming” — which assumed Black players started out with lower cognitive functioning — in the $1 billion settlement of brain injury claims and review past scores for any potential race bias. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
NFL pledges to halt 'race-norming,' review Black claims

By Maryclaire Dale Jun. 02, 2021 02:23 PM EDT

Former NFL player Clarence Vaughn III, center left, and his wife Brooke Vaughn kiss before delivering tens of thousands of petitions demanding equal treatment for everyone involved in the settlement of concussion claims against the NFL, to the federal courthouse in Philadelphia, Friday, May 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Retired Black players say NFL brain-injury payouts show bias

By Maryclaire Dale And Michelle R. Smith May. 14, 2021 01:09 PM EDT

Chicago Bears great Steve McMichael says he has ALS

Apr. 23, 2021 03:29 PM EDT
CHICAGO (AP) — Steve McMichael, a star defensive tackle on the Chicago Bears' 1985 Super Bowl championship team, says he has been diagnosed with ALS. ...

A York County sheriff's deputy is parked outside a residence where multiple people, including a prominent doctor, were fatally shot a day earlier, Thursday, April 8, 2021, in Rock Hill, S.C. A source briefed on the mass killing said the gunman was former NFL player Phillip Adams, who shot himself to death early Thursday. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Ex-NFL player's brain to be probed for trauma-related harm

By Meg Kinnard And Michelle Liu Apr. 09, 2021 04:18 PM EDT

FILE - Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najeh Davenport (44) sits on the bench during an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks in Pittsburgh, in this Sunday, Oct. 7, 2007, file photo. A federal judge on Monday, March 8, 2021, dismissed a lawsuit that challenged “race-norming” in dementia tests for retired NFL players, a practice that some say makes it harder for Black athletes to show injury and qualify for awards. Davenport was denied an award but would have qualified had they been white, according to their lawsuit. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)
Lawyers battle over 'race-norming' in NFL dementia tests

By Maryclaire Dale Mar. 22, 2021 01:00 PM EDT

FILE - Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najeh Davenport (44) sits on the bench during an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks in Pittsburgh, in this Sunday, Oct. 7, 2007, file photo. A federal judge on Monday, March 8, 2021, dismissed a lawsuit that challenged “race-norming” in dementia tests for retired NFL players, a practice that some say makes it harder for Black athletes to show injury and qualify for awards. Davenport was denied an award but would have qualified had they been white, according to their lawsuit. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)
Judge tosses suit over 'race-norming' in NFL dementia tests

By Maryclaire Dale Mar. 08, 2021 11:49 AM EST

French supporters pose for a photo as they arrive for the Autumn Nations Cup final rugby union international match between England and France at Twickenham stadium in London, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2020. Two thousand spectators, including 400 NHS workers who have received free tickets, will be in attendance as COVID-19 restrictions are eased after the latest lockdown. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)
Former rugby players join forces on brain injury claims

Dec. 08, 2020 01:38 PM EST

File-Seattle Seahawks quarterback, Rick Mirer (3) is sacked for a seven-yard-loss by Kevin Henry (76) of the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second quarter of their NFL game in Seattle, Wash., Sunday, Dec. 26, 1993. Dementia tests in the NFL concussion litigation allow doctors to use different baseline standards for Black and white retired players, making it more difficult for Blacks to show injury and qualify for awards, lawyers for two ex-players argued in court filings Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020. Lawyers for ex-players Henry and Najeh Davenport said their clients were denied awards “based on a discriminatory testing regime" that weighs sociological factors including race. Both men would have qualified for awards had race not been considered, they said. (AP Photos/Gary Stewart, File)
Lawyers: NFL concussion awards discriminate against Blacks

By Maryclaire Dale Aug. 25, 2020 05:37 PM EDT

Donna Houston holds up a photograph of her husband, Jim, during his playing years with the Cleveland Browns, Friday, April 3, 2020, in Sagamore Hills, Ohio. Houston's widow would keep notes on her husband's deteriorating condition in a three-ring binder so she would be prepared for the day when he needed full-time care. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
Jim Houston, Browns' 'Mr. Dependable,' had CTE

By Jimmy Golen Apr. 03, 2020 07:10 PM EDT