Former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Tommy Kramer, viewed as one of the all-out toughest players in franchise history, said he is suffering from dementia.
Kramer, 69, posted the news to his X account.
"Please, no sympathy," Kramer wrote. "I've lived a great life and wouldn't change a thing. Nobody wanted to win more than me and I never gave up, and that's exactly how I'm going to battle this."
Kramer added that he was releasing the news following Brett Favre's admission that he's suffering from Parkinson's disease. He said that he's stopped drinking alcohol to help combat it — and that doctors told him at his annual check-up that the dementia has not advanced.
Per ESPN:
"Kramer, a native of San Antonio, Texas, was drafted in the first round out of Rice by the Vikings in 1977. He was given the nickname "Two Minute Tommy" for his late-game success, most famously a 46-yard Hail Mary pass for a touchdown in 1980 that was tipped and caught with one hand by Ahmad Rashad to cap a comeback victory over Cleveland Browns that clinched a division title for Minnesota. Kramer passed for 456 yards and four touchdowns in that game.
"Kramer is second in Vikings history in passing yards, behind Hall of Fame member Fran Tarkenton, but much of his career was interrupted by injuries. He became the starter in 1979, the only season in which he played all 16 games."
