[citation needed]. For years prior to his death, he battled symptoms resembling depression, dementia, and amnesia. Over the years he picked up expenses for the financially beleaguered Webster and even paid for almost all of his $7,600 funeral. You can always change this later in your Account settings. AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, (select parishes), MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY, CA-ONT only.Eligibility restrictions apply. Gambling problem? Pamela put up with it for a while, but the couple separated for the first time around 1992 (she finally divorced a reluctant Webster last March after years of living apart). Somebody is struggling with something. [1], Webster died in 2002 at the age of 50 of a heart attack, and subsequently was the first former NFL player diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). One of the individuals who was instrumental in beginning the story was former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman Mike Webster through his family. He preferred it if people didnt recognize him., The last year of Websters life brought new woes: His divorce became final, his health worsened and his finances collapsed again. He was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs, who initially made him an offensive line coach before allowing him to return as the starting center. [10] Webster was posthumously elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007. We were cut out even more. This undersized six-foot-two athlete, who through force of will turned himself into Iron Mike, led a life of extraordinary career highsfollowed by a slowly devastating decline. Lets focus on the positive, on how these things can never happen again. I dont think he cared about being a hero, he just liked the game.. And he had such a soft spot for children. The couple married shortly after the Steelers drafted him in the fifth round in 1974, and eventually had four children: Brooke, now 26, sons Colin and Garrett24 and 19and Hillary, 15. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. I had to make sure the slides were Mike Websters slides, Omalu told FRONTLINE. [8] At the time of his retirement, he was the last active player in the NFL to have played on all four Super Bowl winning teams of the 1970s Steelers. But Webster refused his panicked sons entreaties to go to a hospital, in part because he didnt have insurance. He was 50. I didnt realize he had a brain injury, says Pamela. Mike had dementia due to head trauma, a series of blows to the head over a period of time, Krieg says. Failed to remove flower. // -->. He couldnt concentrate, he had difficulty focusing, the conversation was rambling. Krieg adds there was no other explanation for Websters deterioration; the repeated banging of his brain against his skull had damaged the brains nerve cells. "If you take out the head injuries, Dad was ruled completely disabled from football," Webster explained. Call 1-800-GAMBLER. He stopped hanging out with the family as much. NFL Player Accuses Union Leaders of Bad Faith C.B.A. We all worked hard, but none as hard as Mike did. An athlete who sustains concussion is 4-6 times more likely to sustain a second concussion. Of the 22 players who were part of all four Steeler Super Bowl teams, Webster was the last to leave and the first to die. Inside Mike Websters brain, hed make a startling discovery:a disease never previously identified in football players. It is with great sadness that we announce the death of Michael Allen Webster (Knoxville, Tennessee), who passed away on February 24, 2023, at the age of 65, leaving to mourn family and friends. (That payout ended with his death, but his two youngest children now receive $1500 a month each. Iron Mike Webster played in the NFL between 1974 and 1990, winning four Super Bowls The price of that glory would not become apparent until Webster died aged just 50 the NFL are counting. He experienced fits of rage and confusion, drained his assets, and even went through a period of homelessness. An avid weightlifter, Webster was known for playing with bare arms to keep opponents from grabbing his sleeves. Webster had died of a heart attack at the age of 50. No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. Have you ever been in a car accident? the doctor asked. Literary and Cultural Heritage Map of PA. U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, Late Steelers great Webster's case launched the CTE brain debate, "The Life And Career Of Mike Webster (Story)", "Before 'Concussion': An Inside Glimpse of NFL Player Mike Webster's Utterly Tragic Final Days", Reflections in Iron: Mike Websters Training Methods, People: Pro Football; Webster Retires https://www.nytimes.com/1991/03/12/sports/sports-people-pro-football-webster-retires.htmlhttps://www.profootballhistory.com/mike-webster/Sports People: Pro Football; Webster Retires, "Ben Roethlisberger breaks Mike Webster's record for most games played with Steelers", Mike Webster, 50, Dies; Troubled Football Hall of Famer, Mike Webster autopsy 'one of the most significant moments in the history of sports', "Researchers: Late NFL player had degenerative brain condition - ESPN", "Game Brain: Football Players and Concussions", "Former Steeler's Family Wins Disability Ruling", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mike_Webster&oldid=1142356025, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 23:35. In his last year in Pittsburgh, Webster returned the favor by mentoring the then-rookie Dawson in the same manner Mansfield had mentored Webster earlier in his career. Drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1974, he played for 17 seasons, 15 with the Steelers. His youngest child, Hillary, who was living in Wisconsin with her mother, says that in recent years, My father called me every night. But his two sons, who lived with him at different times, saw a more tortured side. The NFL appealed the ruling. Mike Webster Pittsburgh Steelers Hall of Fame center Mike Webster was the first NFL player diagnosed with CTE. Sorry! Webster played two seasons in Kansas City before announcing his retirement on March 11, 1991, after a 17-year career with a total of 245 games played at center. 52 has not been reissued by the team since he retired. This is his story. I wasn't broke. Greenwood 11 a.m. Monday, Steelers 2023 Pre-NFL Draft visit Tracker, Steelers ticket prices holding steady for 2023, Explaining the differences in ruling a touchdown in the NFL. '', At the time, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Webster was ''homeless, unemployed, deep in debt, beset with medical ailments, lacking health insurance, in the midst of divorce, in the care of a psychiatrist and on medication, and involved in a complex lawsuit over real estate investments.''. Contact Us | In private, the message seemed different. It was Omalus job to measure the damage. I wish the NFL would do that stuff with us and with other families. But Webster tried to reassure people that his life was not as damaged as it seemed. Too proud to ask his teammates for help, Webster was eventually befriended by a fan, Sunny Jani, who sought Mike out after reading about his troubles in the newspaper. I want to work for a living, I want to earn my keep and stuff like that. Send Flowers. Try again later. [21] Webster's son Garrett now serves as the administrator to the Brain Injury Research Institute in Pittsburgh, which is dedicated to encouraging individuals who have had head trauma to donate their brains after death as well as being an advocate to players who have similar conditions that his father had. Hed open doors for me, hed call when he said hed call. Jani began to handle the increasingly frequent crises, bailing Webster out of awkward jams. Serving as a backup at center and guard for two years while being mentored by veteran center Ray Mansfield, Webster became the team's starting center in 1976, where he remained for 150 consecutive games. Former colleagues soon began to hear disturbing stories about him, but no one knew what was wrong, and Webster was mystified and frustrated himself, embarrassed that he couldnt seem to hold a job or even remember scheduled meetings. Negotiation, NFL Players Forfeit Important Legal Rights in New CBA, Open Letter to NFLPA from Ivan F. Soto, Executive Director AFLPU, Real Sports Podcast Lays Bare How Washington Commanders Staff Terrorized Women On The Job, Russell Okung Continues to Fight the Good Fight, The 1985 Chicago Bears: A Legacy of Glory and of Pain, The Conversation Robert Kraft Should Be Having With Gronk, The Proposed NFL CBA is a 456-Page Legal Defense Strategy, Unpacking Roger Goodells Statement on the Death of George Floyd. For example, my mom, shes part of a number of wives groups of former and current NFL players that talk and support each other with what goes on with concussions and CTE and stuff like that. On one occasion, Webster showed up at a game on crutches, with torn cartilage in his knee, played anyway and had surgery afterward. The article is printed in its entirety below. Since Webster was so passionate about football, it was painful for him to accept that the sport had left him permanently impaired. He woke up Sunday morning, his lips were purple, he was sheet white, says Garrett. I did some work with a brain injury group. At the teams expense, Webster was put up for six weeks at the Pittsburgh Hilton, before decamping to a $25-a-night joint. Webster grew up on a 640-acre potato farm near Harshaw, Wisconsin. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? He tried to stay low-key, says Moon Area High Schools football coach Mark Capuano. And why it wasnt stopped sooner. The condition, known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, was the first hard evidence that playing football could cause permanent brain damage. An hour later, standing on the sidelines watching practice, Maddox complains to me: Im really upset that they wont let me play.. Mercury Morris: The Owners dont want to pay benefits! Oops, we were unable to send the email. Two Very Different NFLs for Andrew Luck and Amon Gordon, Andrew Lucks retirement, and pain he endured, hit close to home for former Charger, Brain Injury Casts a Dark Cloud Over NFLs 100th Season, New Report Projects Minimum 10% of NFL Players will Develop CTE, Tamarick Vanover chronicles classic story of disposable NFL players, The story of Bill Cesare demonstrates how little the NFL and NFLPA do to take care of former players, The Story of an NFL Wife a Conversation with Cyndy Feasel. His struggle with mental illness, as a result of CTE, at the end of his life was depicted in the 2015 film Concussion. He wanted to provide support for his family, says Fitzsimmons, who pulled together a raft of supporting medical records, and brought in a psychologist from Marshall University Graduate College, Fred Jay Krieg, to examine Webster. 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