Former NFL and Tennessee Volunteers running back Charlier Garner said doctors told him they believe he has Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE)—a brain disease that has affected numerous former NFL players.
Related: A former first-round pick's career is in jeopardy following a serious injury
Garner, 45, played 11 seasons in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He told Sporting News he is already having difficulty remembering things. He also said:
When I go to the mall or grocery store, I have to take one of my kids with me to remember where the car is parked. I have trouble remembering conversations I had five minutes ago. Bright lights bother me. I just don't feel right all the time."
Garner said he hasn't been depressed, but he added that his symptoms still "scares the heck" out of him.
Doctors can't diagnose CTE until after someone has died, but Garner's doctors told him that he has experienced many of the symptoms of someone with CTE. The degenerative brain disease can lead to depression, dementia, Alzheimer's and even suicide. Doctors think CTE is caused by repeated blows to the head.
Garner said he was only diagnosed with two concussions throughout his career, but doctors said even smaller collisions can cause the brain to hit the skull, which causes brain damage over time. Garner then estimated that he had a dozen concussions per year.
Garner started suffering symptoms about a year ago, but he told Sporting News he still doesn't regret playing football. He said football provided a "good lifestyle" for him and his family, though he acknowledged he might suffer from it down the road.
"People ask me all the time if I would do it all over again if I knew more about concussions," he said. "I say yes, but I would do it as a defensive back because I wouldn't have taken so many hits."
Garner said he won't stop his son from playing football in high school if he wants, but he would encourage him to play defensive back opposed to running back.
Garner had a successful career in the NFL, rushing for over 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons with the 49ers in 1999 and 2000.
He's the latest former NFL player to announce a debilitating illness. Gale Sayers, the Hall of Fame running back and Chicago Bears, has dementia, his family announced. Dwight Clark, the former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver known for one of he biggest catches in NFL playoff history, recently announced he has Alzheimer's.
(h/t Mercury News)
