A Football Player with Chronic Tacitae Encephalopathy and a Sports Analyst: Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award
Cross, the former NFL defensive back who became the first Black man to work full-time as a sports analyst on national television, is the latest football player diagnosed with the brain disease CTE. Cross, who was 81 when he died Feb. 28, 2021, suffered from stage 4 chronic traumatic encephalopathy, Boston University researchers said Tuesday.
Former players studied by the BU CTE Center have chosen to donate their brains to the center or have had their brains donated by their families after their deaths.
CTE, a neurodegenerative brain disease, can be found in individuals who have been exposed to repeated head trauma. Even without concussion, repeated hits to the head can result in chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
The disease, which can only be formally diagnosed with an autopsy, is pathologically marked by a buildup of tau protein in the brain that can disable neuropathways and lead to a variety of symptoms including memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, aggression, depression, anxiety, impulse control issues and sometimes suicidal behavior.
The Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award was given to Cross in 2009. The award was given for long time exceptional contributions to radio and television in professional football.
After his NFL career, Cross became the first African American sports analyst on national television when he worked for CBS Sports as an NFL analyst and commentator from 1971 to 1994.
Anchor Irv Cross Had the Brain Disease Dementia: A Mom’s Journey Through the Looking-Glass of Childhood Neuroblastic Trauma
Liz Cross said that her late husband didn’t want to be with people. “The only person he wanted to be with was me. He didn’t want to be with me when he was with me. He just wanted to be with me.
Stage 4 is the most advanced stage of CTE, showing the kind of damage that often causes cognitive and behavioral issues in those exposed to repetitive head trauma. He was paranoid and had trouble with his balance.
Cross said her husband, who was diagnosed with mild cognitive dementia in 2018, often sat in a chair and grimaced from headaches that weren’t going away. He decided not to take medicine because it wasn’t able to help the pain. He stopped going to church. Once a student of the game, NFL games were mostly background noise because he didn’t know who was playing.
Source: https://www.npr.org/2023/02/28/1160141857/former-nfl-star-and-cbs-sports-anchor-irv-cross-had-the-brain-disease-cte
Anchor irv Cross had the brain disease cte: Is it normal to play football and what kind of sports do you want to play?
“He was the nicest, kindest, most helpful, wonderful man I ever met,” Cross said. That was not who he was at the end. And that wasn’t who he was. The disease did that.
“I think there’s more information about the risks of football, but I still don’t think we’re up to date with how to manage concussions,” he said. This is a risk that young athletes are taking, so we need to educate them. We need to educate coaches to keep head trauma out of the game. We need to do more managing of athletes by monitoring them better. I still believe there is a cavalier attitude towards the neurological disorder, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. There is a lot of denial.
In fact, Liz Cross said she and her husband were “both in denial” about the cause of the breakdowns in his health until about five years before his death.
For someone who was active and good at everything, but didn’t have balance or strength, it was embarrassing. “He was pretty much in a constant state of depression.”
Source: https://www.npr.org/2023/02/28/1160141857/former-nfl-star-and-cbs-sports-anchor-irv-cross-had-the-brain-disease-cte
Irv Cross: A “Paper Head” of the Jacksonville Charged Colts, an athlete who fought his lifetime with concussion
The two-time Pro Bowl CB had 22 picks, 14 of which were for offense, 14 of which were for defense, and eight forced turnovers. He averaged 27.9 yards on kick returns and punts.
According to Cross, her husband told her that he did suffer from concussions during his playing career but that he didn’t keep count. Eagles teammates called him “Paper Head” because he suffered so many head injuries in his first season.
“It’s important to highlight cases like Irv Cross’ because he was able to live a long and successful life where CTE didn’t dramatically impair him,” he said. It was a challenge at the end.
Irv told his wife that after a blow to his head that almost caused him to swallow his tongue, doctors said if he suffered another concussion “he would die.”