Jim McMahon on his controversial dementia worries
Last week on a local Chicago TV station, former Chicago Bears Quarterback Jim McMahon told of his concerns over sliding into the early stages of dementia.
In fact he went as far as saying that if he could do things over then he would have pursued a career in baseball; a sport which he loved playing when growing up.
The path he chose was defined by his leading of the Bears into Superbowl XX, and earning the franchises only Vince Lombardi Trophy to date. He has gone on record before, telling of memory loss, saying that on times he would go into a room only to find when he gets there he has forgotten the reason why he went.
Jim “Mad Mac” McMahon was drafted by Coach Mike Ditka’s Bears in 1982 out of BYU, in fact he was the 5th pick in the first round of that seasons draft. Ditka knew what he had bought into of course, but this was confirmed when on his first public outing as a Chicago Bears employee he walked in swigging a beer. Not the best way to impress the hard nosed Coach.
Despite this he won the starting QB role and steered his team to a 3-6 record in the strike shortened season, he won the NFC Offensive Rookie of the Year award, only missing out on the NFL Rookie award to a certain running back, Marcus Allen. He backed this up by showing how versatile he was in his position, running option plays and was often used for sneaks on short yardage downs, sometimes very unconventionally, he would dive head first to end his runs instead of the preferred method of sliding feet first.
His second season ended 8-8, but it was the third year of his career which was the pinnacle. After going 15-1 during the regular season, they bullied their way through the playoffs and thrashed the New England Patriots, 46-10 in New Orleans’ Superdome. He ran for two short scores that day. Chicago and McMahon were never quite able to match those dizzy heights, and after an injury plagued few years, he was traded to San Diego in 1988. Never really settling down he then had short stints with the Eagles, Vikings, Cardinals and Packers. It was with Green Bay he earned a second Superbowl ring as backup to Brett Favre, again a victory over the Patriots, Weirdly, it was 11 years to the day of his win with Chicago; soon after, he retired.
Since then he has had a few run-ins with the law , in 2003 he was charged for being DUI (Driving Under the Influence of alcohol), and as recent as April this year he was in serious financial trouble, claims of him being $104m in debt. He hit the spotlight more publicly in August 2011 when he and 6 other retired players filed a lawsuit against the NFL , citing negligence and misconduct in its handling of concussion related injuries. This led to many more players coming forward with their concerns, alleging the League knew about harmful effects of concussion injuries, but concealed them from players, coaches and trainers.
New guidelines have been set up in the NFL , independent physicians now determine when a player should return to play.Rule changes prevent helmet-to-helmet hits, and equipment manufacturers have upped their game to reduce impact injuries. Now nearly 2,500 former players are seeking compensation from the NFL in this ongoing court battle.
Jim McMahon always surrounded himself with controversy on and off the field. He was not taken out of games on each of 4 concussions incurred during play. He claims that he had to play on in order to get paid. Trying his best to keep his mind active every day, he told that at times he forgets the simplest of things like peoples names and conversations. The sad truth of his and all the others everyday stress due to football related concussions.
We wish him well in what could be his best winning drive yet – the drive to live a healthy life.
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