Mark Gastineau suffering from dementia, Alzheimer?s and Parkinson?s disease

[Undertaker #59*]

Mark Gastineau suffering from dementia, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/f...e=twitter.com&utm_campaign=NYDNSports+Twitter

Jets legend Mark Gastineau has revealed that he is suffering from serious health problems.

“When my results came back, I had dementia, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s,” the former Jets defensive lineman said on WOR Thursday evening. “Those were three things that I have.”

Gastineau said he received the diagnoses roughly a year ago and traced his illnesses back to football.

“You know, my first reaction was that I didn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe it,” Gastineau told the Daily News in a phone interview Thursday night. “My second reaction was how can I help other people coming in to the NFL? That’s what it’s all about.”

The former defensive lineman believes football can now be played safely and aims to educate young football players.

“I know that there’s techniques out there that if I would have had ‘em, if I would have had the techniques out there that I’m teaching now to these kids, I know I would not be probably...I know I wouldn’t have the results that I have now,” he said on the radio.

“I led with my head all the time,” Gastineau added.

Gastineau, 60, played 10 years for the Jets and was part of the famed New York Sack Exchange.

The former Jet is now an ambassador for USA Football, a role he’s held for several years, and advocates for it and the Heads Up Football program as a way to promote and increase safety in youth football.

“The only reason I would allow my child to play is because of this USAFootball.com,” he said. “I would not allow my child to play if I did not have this Heads Up Football. There’s no way in the world. You cannot expect your child to not be injured if you do not enter this program. If a high school doesn’t have this program, there should not be a program.”

USA Football is a youth football organization and Heads Up Football is a joint program of the NFL and USA Football to improve the safety of the youth game.

“It’s something I want every player who goes out and plays to be protected in the best way that they can be protected,” he said.

Gastineau said he wanted his own health problems to be a “warning" to parents.

“I don’t want (my diagnosis) to over shadow the Heads Up Program," he said. "I want it to be a warning to mothers and fathers to be able to put their kids in the safe places to be able to carry on a team sports that I think is going to be way more beneficial for them than if they didn’t have it in their lives.

The former defensive lineman was enshrined in the Jets’ Ring of Honor in 2012. He gave an eclectic speech during halftime of the Jets’ Monday night loss to the Texans in October of that year when he was inducted alongside former wideout Wesley Walker.

“I think that the Lord put me on this Earth to show that you can be a great player, have all the sacks in the world...and at the end of your life you get news like this and you can turn it into bad, or you can turn it into good,” Gastineau told the News.

 

[BradyGirl]

Sad for this guy. That's a trifecta right there!

I think most parents aren't going to care about whatever programs are concocted to make the game safer. They'll just tell their kids you're not playing football, period.

 

[Jaric]

Sad for this guy. That's a trifecta right there!

I think most parents aren't going to care about whatever programs are concocted to make the game safer. They'll just tell their kids you're not playing football, period.

And honestly who can blame them?

There's plenty of ways to get the lessons learned from playing football without turning your brain into mashed potatoes.

Sucks for the sport, but the NFL is already getting pretty hard to watch as it is.

 

[AllWorldTE]

Sad for this guy. That's a trifecta right there!

I think most parents aren't going to care about whatever programs are concocted to make the game safer. They'll just tell their kids you're not playing football, period.

I was talking with a guy last week whose grandson is a 6'3" 220 high school freshman & athlete whose parents won't let play football. Granddad was singing the blues. Football fans are going to be singing the blues in ten years or so if not sooner.

 

[BradyGirl]

And honestly who can blame them?

There's plenty of ways to get the lessons learned from playing football without turning your brain into mashed potatoes.

Sucks for the sport, but the NFL is already getting pretty hard to watch as it is.

Not me!

If I had a kid, no football for them! I love the game but the apple from the Tree of Knowledge can't be uneaten.

 

[Roberto71]

It's a real issue. I just wonder will the authoprities have the guts to make changes now before it's too late. And it coud be changes that have football fans reeling including getting rid of helmets altogther and bannoing any kind of contact above the shoulders. Akin to Rugby.

There'd be uproar of course, but it may be the only option. Keep everything about the game, but the helmets go along with the pads maybe as well and you'll still have football without the massive head hits. Would still have the element of danger, Rugby has concussion issues of it's own but you have to get rid of these constant head clashes on every snap that llnemen especially go though.