In what appears to be a nearly monthly trend, another former National Football League player has come out to talk about his experiences with dealing with head injuries related to his career as a professional football player. Legendary defensive tackle and Hall of Famer Warren Sapp recently announced that he would be donating his brain to the Concussion Legacy Foundation after his death for research into head injuries.
Sapp’s willingness to share his brain for a research study comes following an email he received from another former player, who claimed that team owners denied that football had any correlation with head injuries and even subsequent suicides with players. Sapp then goes on to talk about his own struggles following a career in football. He describes it as a frightening feeling, that his weakening made him feel like a child in need of help. He went on to discuss his helplessness, comparing it to being useless.
His claims are not without merit. Dozens of fellow retired players have all discussed their frightening time dealing with symptoms of long-term brain damage. Many, like Sapp, experience significant loss of memory and brain function since retirement.
Brain injuries and mental conditions are among the various disabling conditions which could qualify a victim for Social Security Disability Insurance. To determine whether you qualify, you may want to speak with a legal professional. The process, which includes proving that your condition is serious enough to prevent you from maintaining gainful employment for at least a year, is not always easy, especially for someone already suffering from a debilitating injury or mental condition.
Source: Business Insider, “Warren Sapp on effects of football on his brain: It’s a ‘frightening’ and ‘weakening’ feeling ‘because you feel like a child’,” By Tyler Lauletta, June 21, 2017