Neurological disorders
Longtime Steelers broadcaster Ilkin retiring to fight ALS

Jun. 03, 2021 10:22 AM EDT
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Longtime Pittsburgh Steelers radio analyst Tunch Ilkin is retiring to focus on his fight against ALS. Ilkin, who played...

FILE - This Sunday, Sept. 23, 2007, file photo shows Pittsburgh Steelers' Najeh Davenport in Pittsburgh. The NFL on Wednesday, June 2, 2021, pledged to halt the use of “race-norming” — which assumed Black players started out with lower cognitive functioning — in the $1 billion settlement of brain injury claims and review past scores for any potential race bias. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)
NFL pledges to halt 'race-norming,' review Black claims

By Maryclaire Dale Jun. 02, 2021 02:23 PM EDT

Former NFL player Clarence Vaughn III, center left, and his wife Brooke Vaughn kiss before delivering tens of thousands of petitions demanding equal treatment for everyone involved in the settlement of concussion claims against the NFL, to the federal courthouse in Philadelphia, Friday, May 14, 2021. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Retired Black players say NFL brain-injury payouts show bias

By Maryclaire Dale And Michelle R. Smith May. 14, 2021 01:09 PM EDT

Chicago Bears great Steve McMichael says he has ALS

Apr. 23, 2021 03:29 PM EDT
CHICAGO (AP) — Steve McMichael, a star defensive tackle on the Chicago Bears' 1985 Super Bowl championship team, says he has been diagnosed with ALS. ...

A York County sheriff's deputy is parked outside a residence where multiple people, including a prominent doctor, were fatally shot a day earlier, Thursday, April 8, 2021, in Rock Hill, S.C. A source briefed on the mass killing said the gunman was former NFL player Phillip Adams, who shot himself to death early Thursday. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Ex-NFL player's brain to be probed for trauma-related harm

By Meg Kinnard And Michelle Liu Apr. 09, 2021 04:18 PM EDT

FILE - Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najeh Davenport (44) sits on the bench during an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks in Pittsburgh, in this Sunday, Oct. 7, 2007, file photo. A federal judge on Monday, March 8, 2021, dismissed a lawsuit that challenged “race-norming” in dementia tests for retired NFL players, a practice that some say makes it harder for Black athletes to show injury and qualify for awards. Davenport was denied an award but would have qualified had they been white, according to their lawsuit. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)
Lawyers battle over 'race-norming' in NFL dementia tests

By Maryclaire Dale Mar. 22, 2021 01:00 PM EDT

FILE - Pittsburgh Steelers running back Najeh Davenport (44) sits on the bench during an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks in Pittsburgh, in this Sunday, Oct. 7, 2007, file photo. A federal judge on Monday, March 8, 2021, dismissed a lawsuit that challenged “race-norming” in dementia tests for retired NFL players, a practice that some say makes it harder for Black athletes to show injury and qualify for awards. Davenport was denied an award but would have qualified had they been white, according to their lawsuit. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic, File)
Judge tosses suit over 'race-norming' in NFL dementia tests

By Maryclaire Dale Mar. 08, 2021 11:49 AM EST

French supporters pose for a photo as they arrive for the Autumn Nations Cup final rugby union international match between England and France at Twickenham stadium in London, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2020. Two thousand spectators, including 400 NHS workers who have received free tickets, will be in attendance as COVID-19 restrictions are eased after the latest lockdown. (AP Photo/Ian Walton)
Former rugby players join forces on brain injury claims

Dec. 08, 2020 01:38 PM EST

File-Seattle Seahawks quarterback, Rick Mirer (3) is sacked for a seven-yard-loss by Kevin Henry (76) of the Pittsburgh Steelers during the second quarter of their NFL game in Seattle, Wash., Sunday, Dec. 26, 1993. Dementia tests in the NFL concussion litigation allow doctors to use different baseline standards for Black and white retired players, making it more difficult for Blacks to show injury and qualify for awards, lawyers for two ex-players argued in court filings Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020. Lawyers for ex-players Henry and Najeh Davenport said their clients were denied awards “based on a discriminatory testing regime" that weighs sociological factors including race. Both men would have qualified for awards had race not been considered, they said. (AP Photos/Gary Stewart, File)
Lawyers: NFL concussion awards discriminate against Blacks

By Maryclaire Dale Aug. 25, 2020 05:37 PM EDT

Donna Houston holds up a photograph of her husband, Jim, during his playing years with the Cleveland Browns, Friday, April 3, 2020, in Sagamore Hills, Ohio. Houston's widow would keep notes on her husband's deteriorating condition in a three-ring binder so she would be prepared for the day when he needed full-time care. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
Jim Houston, Browns' 'Mr. Dependable,' had CTE

By Jimmy Golen Apr. 03, 2020 07:10 PM EDT

In this Dec. 15, 2019, photo, Dallas Cowboys center Travis Frederick (72) plays in the first half of an NFL football game against the Washington Redskins in Arlington, Texas. Frederick is retiring from the NFL at 29. The surprising decision comes less than two years after Frederick was diagnosed with a neurological disorder that sidelined him for all of 2018. (AP Photo/Roger Steinman)
Cowboys' Frederick retires, cites play after nerve disorder

By Schuyler Dixon Mar. 23, 2020 07:11 PM EDT

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Ky., watch and listen to Saints quarterback Drew Brees, speak during a Congressional Gold Medal ceremony honoring amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) advocate and former National Football League (NFL) player, Steve Gleason, in Statuary Hall on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2020, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Ex-NFL player Steve Gleason honored by Congress for ALS work

Jan. 15, 2020 07:08 PM EST

FILE - In this Monday, Jan. 18, 2016, file photo, former New Orleans Saints NFL football player Steve Gleason is shown during an interview in New Orleans. Gleason, who become a leading advocate for people struggling with Lou Gehrig's disease after he was diagnosed with the paralyzing condition, will be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal during a ceremony on Jan. 15. President Donald Trump signed legislation last year awarding Gleason the medal, which is the highest civilian honor awarded by Congress. (AP Photo/Jonathan Bachman, File)
Gleason to receive Congressional Gold Medal Jan. 15

By Rebecca Santana Jan. 03, 2020 01:55 PM EST

This Sept. 28, 2018 photo shows batting helmets in a rack before a Major League Baseball game in New York. According to study published Friday, May 24, 2019, NFL players may be more likely to die from brain diseases and heart problems than MLB players but the reasons are unclear. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)
Deaths from brain, heart problems higher for NFL than MLB

By Lindsey Tanner May. 24, 2019 11:46 AM EDT

Judge: Ex-NFL players must see neurologists close to home

By Maryclaire Dale May. 17, 2019 04:36 PM EDT
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Retired NFL players seeking testing as part of a $1 billion concussion settlement must see a doctor close to home to prevent fraud and "doctor...

Attorney Gene Locks, who represents many former NFL players, walks from the federal courthouse in Philadelphia after a hearing, Tuesday, May 7, 2019. The NFL concussion fund has paid out $485 million since 2017, but some players lawyers, including Locks, told a federal judge in Philadelphia on Tuesday that there aren't enough doctors in the fund's network to diagnose dementia cases. They oppose a rule to require that players be evaluated by doctors within 150 miles of home to prevent "doctor shopping." (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
NFL concussion fund pays out $485M, but legal fights resume

By Maryclaire Dale May. 07, 2019 01:20 PM EDT

Ryan Blaney (12), Aric Almirola (10), Paul Menard (21), David Ragan (38) and Matt DiBenedetto (95) start a multi-car wreck between Turns 3 and 4 during the NASCAR Daytona 500 auto race at Daytona International Speedway Sunday, Feb. 17, 2019, in Daytona Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
The Latest: Denny Hamlin wins 2nd Daytona 500 in 4 years

Feb. 17, 2019 07:49 PM EST

FILE - In this Jan. 13, 2019, file photo, former New Orleans Saints player Steve Gleason, who suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), looks at his screen with former Saints assistant coach Joe Vitt, center, before an NFL divisional playoff football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, in New Orleans. He's the Saints' biggest fan and the perfect symbol of a city that knows a thing or two about overcoming hardship. As the Big Easy goes for another championship, Gleason is along for the ride. Even though his body failed him, perhaps because of the game he loved so much, he never lost the will to live and love and make a difference. (AP Photo/Bill Feig, File)
Column: Gleason comes along for the Saints' playoff ride

By Paul Newberry Jan. 18, 2019 05:50 PM EST

Washington State establishes Steve Gleason Institute

Jan. 15, 2019 07:17 PM EST
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Washington State is creating a neuroscience center named for former Cougars and New Orleans Saints defensive back Steve Gleason. ...

FILE - In this Oct. 14, 2011 file photo, J.D. Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing, speaks during a news conference before the NASCAR Nationwide auto race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. Joe Gibbs Racing says co-founder J.D. Gibbs, the eldest son of team owner and Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs, has died. He was 49. The team announced J.D. Gibbs' death on Saturday, Jan. 12, 2019, saying he passed from complications following a long battle with a degenerative neurological disease. (AP Photo/Mike McCarn)
Joe Gibbs' eldest son dies at 49 from neurological disease

Jan. 12, 2019 04:53 PM EST