Athletes

Freddie Mitchell

Mitchell is a former UCLA Bruin, then moved up to NFL playing for the Philadelphia Eagles. He is well remembered in a NFC playoff game, playing on the receiving end of Donovan McNabb's fourth-and-26 pass versus the Green Bay Packers.

When did you suffer your first concussion? Was it in college or with the Eagles?

Mitchell: " got my first concussion in high school. Florida football is a pretty dominant state when it comes to football. I got a lot of concussions at UCLA, probably about four to five. I had a lot of concussions as a professional. What a lot of people don’t realize is you don’t want to report your concussions because each concussion you report can affect the second contract you are striving for; you don’t want to be labeled as damaged goods."

Do you have anything you want to say to the public, make a statement?

Mitchell: "I am not claiming that this brain injury, CTE, made me defraud the government from an elaborate, million dollar scheme. CTE, this brain injury that I have, has allowed me to be victimized. I can’t say I am sorry for committing a crime that I didn’t even know I committed.

Every player has been scammed. Everybody has made a bad investment but I am getting punished for being scammed by an IRS agent. That’s the situation. 

Fans, just keep me in your prayers. Every player has been scammed. Everybody has made a bad investment but I am getting punished for being scammed by an IRS agent. That’s the situation. Fans, just keep me in your prayers. I’m 34 years old without a criminal background; I haven’t done anything. Growing up with many temptations, I can proudly say I didn't choose that route.

I’m not that guy." 

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/freddie-mitchell-talks-about-facing-prison-and-how-cte-affects-his-life-110713

 Brett Favre

Favre, a maybe soon to be a retired quarterback for the St. Louis Rams, has an admission of memory loss. He is interviewed by SportsTalk 570 in Washington D.C, and explains why he might not be considering coming back. 

Favre: “This was a little shocking to me that I couldn’t remember my daughter playing youth soccer,” Favre said. “It was just one summer, I think. I could remember her playing basketball, I could remember her playing volleyball, so I kind of think maybe (I thought) she only played a (soccer) game or two. Well, I think she played like eight. So that’s a little bit scary to me. So for the first time in 44 years, that kind of put a little fear in me.”

Dave Duerson

A former professional American Football player. Duerson had a problem which caused him to have lapses in memory, mood swings, piercing headaches on the left side of his head, difficulty spelling simple words, blurred eyesight, not only internal problems but the outward signs of difficulty - losing his business, breakup of his marriage and the debts. 

Sadly, February 17th 2011, Dave Duerson shot himself. Beside him where he died was his NFL Man of the Year trophy, along with a note saying "Please, see that my brain is given to the NFL's brain bank." which he repeated in a text message to his ex-wife.