Another Tragic Death

As NFL fans await for the final vote by the NFLPA for the ratification of a new CBA, the death of a former player barley registered on the radar screen.

Forest Blue was a four-time Pro Bowl center on the San Francisco 49ers, helping them win three division title in the early 1970's. He was a first round selection in the 1967 draft, the 15th player taken overall. He never missed a game from 1969-1974 and finished his career in 1978, playing four years with the Baltimore Colts.

He died at assisted living facility in Carmichael, California last weekend at the age of 65. He had suffered from dementia and memory loss over the last 15 years and had lived in the facility for the last 22 months.

Most of his medical expenses were covered by the NFL's 88 Plan which provides up to $88,000 for annual medical coverage for disabled players.

He is believed to have suffered from CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) caused by repeated blows to the head. His brain is being donated to the research center at Boston University which has been studying the brains of deceased former NFL players.

There is a very bad trend that is difficult not to notice. Former NFL players die at an age that is much younger than the general population. The crippling orthopaedic issues pale in comparison to the frequency of dementia and Alzheimer's.

The players of today face that same fate.