This past August, the NFL lost a one of their beloved members, Frank Gifford. A NFL Hall of Famer, former New York Giants running back and a Monday night football analyst, Gifford passed late summer at the age of eighty-four. Originally, his sudden death was chalked up to mere natural causes at the time. This Wednesday, however the idea of natural causes resulting in Giffords death, went out the window. Apparently, his family decided to have his brain tested before finally laying him to rest. Due to recent inquiries in the media, and an increasing amount of retired and professional football players reporting head and brain injuries, researchers are trying to figure out if the head injuries received in football games and practices, actually affect the players in the long term.
Apparently, test results showed that Gifford actually had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, one of the brain diseases thought to be tied to being hit in the head repeatedly; a disease that also seems to plague many retired professional football players. Giffords family decided to have him tested after they had rising suspicions that he may have suffered from the disease, it doesn’t help that Gifford actually sat out the entire season of 1961 after suffering a head injury that left him lying unconscious on the field. Gifford’s family is trying to shine light on finding a solution to one of the most urgent problems in the NFL. They hope to help others, just as Gifford did.