Colonel_Reb
Hall of Famer
CHICAGO -- It was during Super Bowl media day in February when Jim
McMahon was first approached and asked to get involved with the Sports
Legacy Institute, which was formed three years ago to "solve the
concussion crisis" in sports.<blockquote ="mod-quote- quote--left mod-inline">
"</span>
I've been hit in the head so many times, it's hard to remember that far back. I don't remember specific games."
"Â</span>
<cite>-- Jim McMahon, on '85 win in Minnesota</cite>
</blockquote>
More than that, Boston University researchers
want to study McMahon's brain as part of their ongoing mission to treat
and prevent the effects of brain trauma in athletes and other at-risk
groups. McMahon's comments have indicated that he's a good candidate.
"My memory's pretty much gone," McMahon recently told the Chicago
Tribune. "There are a lot of times when I walk into a room and forget
why I walked in there. I'm going through some studies right now, and I
am going to do a brain scan. It's unfortunate what the game does to you.
"I've worked with some neurosurgeons and it's a very serious thing, man."
McMahon has yet to pledge his brain to the study, but he intends to help
raise money for research, beginning with co-hosting a fundraiser in
Chicago at John Allan's Men's Club on Jan. 13. Proceeds will help bring
educational programs and clinics about brain trauma to Chicago-area
youth coaches. McMahon's former teammates Richard Dent and Gary Fencik
will be among other athletes taking part in the event.
For
McMahon, 51, whose heroics on the field -- and antics off -- in leading
the 1985 Bears to the Super Bowl title made him one of football's most
colorful characters, it was an opportunity he couldn't refuse. McMahon
and his girlfriend, Laurie Navon, had seen a television feature on brain
injuries in former athletes caused by repeated blows in football.
"He
had been worried about it for a while," said Navon, speaking from
McMahon's Scottsdale, Ariz., home on Wednesday. "He does forget things.
He'll ask you a question, and 20 minutes later, will ask you the same
question. Initially, I thought he was joking, but he wasn't.
"He'll walk in a room and forget why he walked in, which we all do, but he does it on a daily basis."
In a recent interview with ESPNChicago.com, McMahon talked about the
aftereffects of his 15-year football career and said he was in pain
every day, hasn't worked out in 15 years and can't run. At the same
time, he said he did not second-guess the way he played.
"You
could only play the game one way," he said. "It was the only way I knew
how to play. I wouldn't change anything. I'd do it again, even though I
know it's going to hurt."
McMahon was asked about the Bears' dramatic
Thursday night victory in Minnesota in 1985, during which he came off
the bench after being in the hospital that week with back spasms and a
serious leg infection. He tossed three touchdown passes -- a performance
that vaulted him to celebrity status nationally -- but McMahon said he
could not cite any specifics.
"I've been hit in the head so many times, it's hard to remember that far back," he said. "I don't remember specific games."
Navon said McMahon's confusion affects his quality of life.
"He
definitely gets depressed, because he can't do what he used to do and
wants to do," she said. "We'll be driving someplace and we'll be halfway
there and he says 'Where are we going?' He has a Kindle and he'll pick a
book he thinks is interesting and get a quarter of the way through and
realize he read it.
"He's going to become very active [with the
Sports Legacy Institute] and try to get as many former players involved
as he can. ... He feels it's important to get more information out
there. He and others took the blows for the young kids today, and now
the rules are changing after they took all the hits."http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/nfl/news/story?id=5788514
McMahon was first approached and asked to get involved with the Sports
Legacy Institute, which was formed three years ago to "solve the
concussion crisis" in sports.<blockquote ="mod-quote- quote--left mod-inline">
"</span>
I've been hit in the head so many times, it's hard to remember that far back. I don't remember specific games."
"Â</span>
<cite>-- Jim McMahon, on '85 win in Minnesota</cite>
</blockquote>
More than that, Boston University researchers
want to study McMahon's brain as part of their ongoing mission to treat
and prevent the effects of brain trauma in athletes and other at-risk
groups. McMahon's comments have indicated that he's a good candidate.
"My memory's pretty much gone," McMahon recently told the Chicago
Tribune. "There are a lot of times when I walk into a room and forget
why I walked in there. I'm going through some studies right now, and I
am going to do a brain scan. It's unfortunate what the game does to you.
"I've worked with some neurosurgeons and it's a very serious thing, man."
McMahon has yet to pledge his brain to the study, but he intends to help
raise money for research, beginning with co-hosting a fundraiser in
Chicago at John Allan's Men's Club on Jan. 13. Proceeds will help bring
educational programs and clinics about brain trauma to Chicago-area
youth coaches. McMahon's former teammates Richard Dent and Gary Fencik
will be among other athletes taking part in the event.
For
McMahon, 51, whose heroics on the field -- and antics off -- in leading
the 1985 Bears to the Super Bowl title made him one of football's most
colorful characters, it was an opportunity he couldn't refuse. McMahon
and his girlfriend, Laurie Navon, had seen a television feature on brain
injuries in former athletes caused by repeated blows in football.
"He
had been worried about it for a while," said Navon, speaking from
McMahon's Scottsdale, Ariz., home on Wednesday. "He does forget things.
He'll ask you a question, and 20 minutes later, will ask you the same
question. Initially, I thought he was joking, but he wasn't.
"He'll walk in a room and forget why he walked in, which we all do, but he does it on a daily basis."
In a recent interview with ESPNChicago.com, McMahon talked about the
aftereffects of his 15-year football career and said he was in pain
every day, hasn't worked out in 15 years and can't run. At the same
time, he said he did not second-guess the way he played.
"You
could only play the game one way," he said. "It was the only way I knew
how to play. I wouldn't change anything. I'd do it again, even though I
know it's going to hurt."
McMahon was asked about the Bears' dramatic
Thursday night victory in Minnesota in 1985, during which he came off
the bench after being in the hospital that week with back spasms and a
serious leg infection. He tossed three touchdown passes -- a performance
that vaulted him to celebrity status nationally -- but McMahon said he
could not cite any specifics.
"I've been hit in the head so many times, it's hard to remember that far back," he said. "I don't remember specific games."
Navon said McMahon's confusion affects his quality of life.
"He
definitely gets depressed, because he can't do what he used to do and
wants to do," she said. "We'll be driving someplace and we'll be halfway
there and he says 'Where are we going?' He has a Kindle and he'll pick a
book he thinks is interesting and get a quarter of the way through and
realize he read it.
"He's going to become very active [with the
Sports Legacy Institute] and try to get as many former players involved
as he can. ... He feels it's important to get more information out
there. He and others took the blows for the young kids today, and now
the rules are changing after they took all the hits."http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/nfl/news/story?id=5788514
