For Former Kicker, the Price of Fearlessness

The cruel irony in this is that Tom Dempsey’s love of hitting people on the football field may very well be responsible for the syndrome that is slowly depriving him of the hard-hitting memories he so delights in sharing.

He is suffering from dementia.

Despite his daunting diagnosis, Dempsey remains largely jovial and optimistic. The only time he displayed any overtly fearful concern for his future was when he talked about how some of the guys he played with who have suffered from brain disorders, some of them friends of his, have died in nursing homes. Needless to say, he dreads the possibility of ending up, he said, “in one of those places.”

Jump to the New York Times to read the complete article.