Hall-of-Famer Gale Sayers’ Family Blames Star’s Dementia On Football
By Ken Reed
Former Chicago Bears great Gale Sayers has been diagnosed with dementia, according to his family. Sayers’ wife, Ardythe Sayers, said the 73-year-old former running back was actually diagnosed four years ago but the condition wasn’t made public at that time.
“Like the doctor at the Mayo Clinic said, ‘Yes, a part of this has to be on football,’” said Ardie Sayers at the couple’s home in Wakarusa, Indiana.
Mrs. Sayers said her husband physically is very healthy but his mental condition has deteriorated.
“That brain controls everything, doesn’t it?” added Ardie Sayers.
Gale Sayers’ brother Roger talked about how tough it is to watch his brother’s mental capacity decline. It’s “tough” to “build memories all your life, and the next thing you know you don’t remember anything,” said Roger Sayers.
The Sayers’ revelation follows closely the news that another former pro football star, Dwight Clark, is suffering from Lou Gehrig’s disease and that Clark believes playing football might be the cause.
“I don’t know for sure,” said Clark. “But I certainly suspect it did.”
— Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director, League of Fans
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"How We Can Save Sports" author Ken Reed appears on Fox & Friends to explain how there's "too much adult in youth sports."
Ken Reed appears on Mornings with Gail from KFKA Radio in Colorado to discuss bad parenting in youth athletics.
“Should College Athletes Be Paid?” Ken Reed on The Morning Show from Wisconsin Public Radio
Ken Reed appears on KGNU Community Radio in Colorado (at 02:30) to discuss equality in sports and Title IX.
Ken Reed appears on the Ralph Nader Radio Hour (at 38:35) to discuss his book The Sports Reformers: Working to Make the World of Sports a Better Place, and to talk about some current sports issues.
- Reed Appears on Ralph Nader Radio Hour League of Fans’ sports policy director, Ken Reed, Ralph Nader and the New York Times’ Tyler Kepner discussed a variety of sports issues on Nader’s radio show as well as Reed’s updated book, How We Can Save Sports: A Game Plan. Reed's book was released in paperback in February, and has a new introduction and several updated sections.
League of Fans is a sports reform project founded by Ralph Nader to fight for the higher principles of justice, fair play, equal opportunity and civil rights in sports; and to encourage safety and civic responsibility in sports industry and culture.
Vanderbilt Sport & Society - On The Ball with Andrew Maraniss with guest Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director for League of Fans and author of How We Can Save Sports: A Game Plan
Sports & Torts – Ken Reed, Sports Policy Director, League of Fans – at the American Museum of Tort Law
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