Posted on 01/19/2017 6:14:04 PM PST by nickcarraway
Jets great Mark Gastineau revealed in a radio interview Thursday with WOR’s Pete McCarthy he has been diagnosed with dementia, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
The franchise’s all-time sacks leader, known for his colorful demeanor and hard-nosed play, said he believes his health issues are the result of his playing style and that new techniques could have prevented his diagnosis.
“When my results came back, you know, I had dementia, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s,” Gastineau told McCarthy.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Young guy for all that.
Lots of hits on the head... and `roids.
Yeah. I understand that head trauma is a pretty strong predictor of Parkinson’s Disease.
Perhaps he took too many punches and forgot that he was also a boxer.
Roadside, maybe? He was demented back in the 80s.
>Roids* Damn autocorrect.
I’ve been criticized by a few left-wing friends for liking football. But the reality is that if Gastineau had been given the following two choices at age 20, what would he taken?
1. You can play football for ten years, make millions, and be one of the greatest players in the game. You will have pains afterwards and age 60 for you will be like age 80 for most people.
2. You’re a strong guy, so you can do construction or something and live an anonymous life.
With Gastineau’s personality, he’d have taken the choice to play football even if he knew full well what it would do to his body and mind. A few of the former NFLers have said they wished they’d never played but most have said “I loved that game.” They choose to play, and I choose to watch. It’s freedom on both sides.
I’m amazed at how well the steroids of football is covered up and ignored.
He was married to Lisa Gastineau for 12 years and his daughter is Brittny Gastineau who hangs around with the Kardashians and other reality show stars.
Just trying to be trendy.
In his NFL days he was one of the most roided up players on any team.
He and Lyle Alzado set the standards other roid users were measured by.
Alzado died broken, broke and nearly friendless.
“I started taking anabolic steroids in 1969 and never stopped. It was addicting, mentally addicting. Now I’m sick, and I’m scared. Ninety percent of the athletes I know are on the stuff. We’re not born to be 300 lb (140 kg) or jump 30 ft (9.1 m). But all the time I was taking steroids, I knew they were making me play better. I became very violent on the field and off it. I did things only crazy people do. Once a guy sideswiped my car and I beat the hell out of him. Now look at me. My hair’s gone, I wobble when I walk and have to hold on to someone for support, and I have trouble remembering things. My last wish? That no one else ever dies this way.[12]” Lyle Alzado
Hopefully Mark has someone who will help him through whatever is left of his life.
It was a choice he made. Nobody held a gun to his head. I can have sympathy, but only for his condition, not how he got there.
Exactly.
Dreadful. Prayers for him.
Alzado freely admitted that he *chose* to use steroids.
The last couple of years before he died he spoke out against steroid use.
That was a bear the NFL didn’t want to wrestle so he got little support for his efforts from the league.
I can’t imagine anyone purposely putting themselves through that for fame and fortune because both are fleeting things.
His choice and he paid the price.
The price of playing football.
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