Reminded Of The Risks Of Football
By Dr. Brian McDonough, Medical Editor
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Alex Karras played football before Sunday afternoons and the NFL became all that important to me but when I heard he passed away last week I was saddened because I remembered him from movies, television sitcoms and as a Monday Night Football announcer.
I actually thought of Karras as a great example of success after football. That is why I was particularly saddened to see he had developed dementia late in life. In fact, he was one of the former players who had spoken out about long term brain damage from head trauma.
I worry about NFL players and the tens of thousands of non professional athletes playing the sport. The numbers are far too great to ignore.
