He was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1999.
The Hall of Fame defensive tackle has been vocal about his struggle with the after-effects of all the hits he took in his career. "Made busts and everything - legends of the game". That he can't remember certain things now, even though he said he always had a great memory.
He said he has resorted to using reminders on his cell phone to keep up with day-to-day tasks. He said "it's from the banging we did as football players". You try to say "alright, I'm gonna get a little more sleep, maybe it's something I did last night, maybe something I drank" or, whatever it is.
Sapp, a retired star defensive tackle for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, becomes the latest former National Football League player to speak up about mental issues in the wake of concussions and head injuries suffered in his playing days.
"Let's get the research, let's apply the knowledge and let's make it all better for everybody", Sapp said.
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, (CTE) was first discovered in the brain of former Pittsburgh Steeler Mike Webster after he committed suicide in 2002.
"And yeah, it's scary to think that my brain could be deteriorating, and that maybe things like forgetting a grocery list, or how to get to a friend's house I've been to a thousand times are just the tip of the iceberg", Sapp said.
LA Noire Remaster in Development, Slated for Late Summer - Rumour
If so, this would make 2018 a huge year for the company with Red Dead Redemption 2 now being expected to hit in Spring 2018. Noire is being remastered for the Xbox One, PS4 and Nintendo Switch with first person support added.
Now? Sapp needs his phone to constantly remind him of his daily duties.
Following former New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez's death in prison, his family donated his brain to science to "possibly help other young men who decide to play football, help further that cause, and also possibly shed light and more evidence on this case", the family's attorney said.
"I mean down the line you could see it", Sapp says. And then spewing it out as if it's fact.
Sapp has noticed some changes in himself in recent years.
The 13-year pro-footballer then reminisced on the strenuous training camps that fostered a "who's tough?" attitude and "bone-on-bone" contact. Warren was a hard nose tackle that lined up head on with his defenders every time he was on the field. That's surprising coming from one of the game's greats, who made his living down in the trenches.
Sapp also criticizes the "machoism" found throughout the National Football League, and speaks to the fact that the tough exterior players feel a need to exude may keep some of them from getting help. "Let's make it better for everyone involved".
Comments