). Mike was a guy you could always count on., [pullquote] Year after year, Webster slammed into much bigger players, their helmets crashing into his like battering rams, their forearms pounding his head. Drag images here or select from your computer for Mike Iron Mike Webster memorial. Mike Webster was a Hall of Fame center who spent 15 of his 17-year NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He lost money in bad investments. Webster is now happy to share that his familys relationship with the Steelers has improved, however, his opinion of the leagues handling of the concussion settlement hasnt similarly improved. There is no photo or video of Michael Allen Webster. He suffered football-related brain damage in 1999 and several behavioral disturbances were reported in the years after he retired.. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. I was born in 1984 and my sister Hillary was born in 1987, Garrett Webster said. Make sure that the file is a photo. [15][16][17], Webster was cremated and his ashes were returned to his wife and their four children. Contact Us | Three days earlier Maddox had suffered such a serious concussion during a game that he was temporarily paralyzed. Weve updated the security on the site. Players with CTE have battled depression, memory loss, and in some cases dementia. Webster was portrayed by David Morse and Dr. Bennet Omalu was portrayed by Will Smith. Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation. Over the years he picked up expenses for the financially beleaguered Webster and even paid for almost all of his $7,600 funeral. Dr. Omalu was very responsible and he did things right away. Lets focus on the positive, on how these things can never happen again. (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=f6da93d0-6850-44b9-a6b9-f62dcef33270&cid=877050e7-52c9-4c33-a20b-d8301a08f96d'; cnxps.cmd.push(function () { cnxps({ playerId: "f6da93d0-6850-44b9-a6b9-f62dcef33270" }).render("a62a84b67add450880a65f158730a944"); }); The years of being butted repeatedly on the head took a brutal toll. Nicknamed "Iron Mike", Webster anchored the Steelers' offensive line during much of their run of four Super Bowl victories from 1974 to 1979 and is considered by some as the best center in NFL history. The latest mock draft from ESPNs Mel Kiper Jr. has the Steelers keeping it "all in the family". Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. In football, brain injuries account for 65% to 95% of all fatalities. Oops, we were unable to send the email. Leave a memory Light a Candle. They have their quirks, they have their workout routines. In 1997, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, and in 2000 he was named to the National Football League's all-time team. On one occasion, Webster showed up at a game on crutches, with torn cartilage in his knee, played anyway and had surgery afterward. It has been speculated that Webster's ailments were due to wear and tear sustained over his playing career; some doctors estimated he had been in the equivalent of "25,000 automobile crashes" in over 25 years of playing football at the high school, college and professional levels. People who play in the NFL, theyre not normal guys. At the time of his retirement, he had played more seasons as a Steeler than anyone else in franchise history (15 seasons), one season ahead of Terry Bradshaw and Hines Ward. The strengths of Mikes character live on in his son, Garrett. He was 50. [22], Nicknamed "Iron Mike", Webster's reputation for durability led him to play even through injuries. 52 has not been reissued by the team since he retired. . Year should not be greater than current year. Failed to report flower. Omalu published his findings, believing NFL officials would want to know more. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. '', At the time, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that Webster was ''homeless, unemployed, deep in debt, beset with medical ailments, lacking health insurance, in the midst of divorce, in the care of a psychiatrist and on medication, and involved in a complex lawsuit over real estate investments.''. He didnt want necessarily them to come kiss his ass and be like, oh, youre Mike Webster, heres a free job for doing nothing, Webster continued. It was Omalus job to measure the damage. We represent current players, not former players. Often unable to pay for medicine, Webster would shake so hard he couldnt drive his son to school. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Witnessing most of Websters story was his son, Garrett. In the autopsy room, Omalu snapped on his gloves and approached the slab. Mike Webster autopsy 'one of the most significant moments in the history of sports' Authors of the book "League of Denial," ESPN investigative reporter Mark Fainaru-Wada and his brother,. Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Resend Activation Email. The weekend of the funeral, Harris went to see Garrett Webster play football and was impressed by the teenagers potential. He increasingly lived away from home, sometimes sleeping in his car. But since he passed away, nobody in the family gets any more of that pension.. Whats Next in the Face-Off Between Kaepernick and the NFL? In organized high school sports, concussions occur more often in competitive sports, with football accounting for more than 60% of concussions. According to a recently published book, "League of Denial: The NFL, Concussions, and the Battle for Truth," the autopsy on Mike Webster, who died at age 50 after a heart attack, revealed chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. You know, if your dad is important enough to get a limo ride to the Steelers game in Pittsburgh, he must be the mayor or something like that., I remember Kansas city a little better and the change to a large extent of how dad acted, Webster continued. He invited me in. I saw changes that shouldnt be in a 50-year-old mans brains, and also changes that shouldnt be in a brain that looked normal.. [/pullquote]. He earned $16,000 in his first season, $400,000 in his last. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. Prosecutors just showed an image of Michael Jackson 's dead, naked body sprawled on a gurney -- taken hours after the singer died. a famous neuropathologist, performed an autopsy on Webster's brain in 2002. [2] Webster played during an era when protective equipment (especially helmets) was inferior, and head injuries were simply considered part of the game. I remember going to the Steelers locker room. The cause of death was a heart attack, the Pittsburgh Steelers said. Other players who retired because of the effects of concussion or other head injuries include Johnny Unitas, Roger Staubach, Merril Hoge, Troy Aikman, Steve Young, Dave Pear, Wayne Chrebet, and Al Toon. ''I couldn't have been the player I was without him,'' Bradshaw said. Professional Football Player. See our ethics statement. Add to your scrapbook. There is a problem with your email/password. The family of late football great Mike Webster has been shut out of settlement money. Mike was also on the sidelines at every game. He also relished his indestructible image. Dr. Bennet Omalu, a forensic neuropathologist, examined tissue from Webster and eight other NFL players and determined they all showed the kind of brain damage previously seen in people with Alzheimer's disease or dementia, as well as in some retired boxers. His marriage broke up. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. High school athletes who sustain a concussion are three times more likely to sustain a second concussion. I was just out of gas, tired and exhausted, and that's as far as I got that day.''. He and Garrett were ousted from their apartment for unpaid rent; Jani helped pay for a new place, but Webster couldnt afford furniture. But I do promise you this: No matter what happens, I will answer the charges. [dropcap]A[/dropcap]t the Pittsburgh Steelers executive offices, overlooking the manicured field where the pro football team practices, Mike Websters sweetly smiling photo stands out on a wall decorated with glowering tough-guy shots of the teams other famous players. [18], After death, Webster was diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a neurodegenerative disease. In the aftermath of the settlement, Webster found that the franchise his father gave his life to enrich, the Steelers, treated him with indifference if not contempt. Hall of Fame offensive lineman Mike Webster was the first former NFL player to be diagnosed with CTE. Pittsburgh Steeler center Mike Webster was the first NFL player Omalu autopsied. The Hall of Famers sheer fortitude is celebrated in the caption: Webster played the most seasons (15) and games (220) in Steeler history., But in Websters rented town house in the Pittsburgh suburb of Moon Township, his family has kept a much sadder tributea sheaf of Websters scribbled notes torn from a legal pad, page after page of heartbreaking gibberish, the legacy of a brain injury sustained while playing center for the Steelers. The book's author. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. Jani began to handle the increasingly frequent crises, bailing Webster out of awkward jams. Mike Webster autopsy 'one of the most significant moments in the history ofsports', Kiper Mock Draft: 3 1st Round trades has a familiar name falling to the Steelers. In 1999, Webster was charged with forging 19 prescriptions to obtain Ritalin, a stimulant mainly used for children with attention deficit hyperactivity. You have to measure by what you started out with, by what you overcome. Try again later. Im not saying in a concussion way. Somebody is struggling with something. 'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+'://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js';fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document, 'script', 'twitter-wjs'); I remember them saying that we were not part of it and there was this cutoff date which really only cut out us and two or three other families. Brain injuries cause more deaths than any other sports injury. To use this feature, use a newer browser. As a neuropathologist, Omalu was especially interested in the brain. At 6-foot-1, 255 pounds, he was drafted in the fifth round of the 1974 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Michael Lewis "Mike" Webster was an American football player who played as a center in the National Football League from 1974 to 1990 with the Pittsburgh Ste. [1], Webster died in 2002 at the age of 50 of a heart attack, and subsequently was the first former NFL player diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). But Rooney refuses to believe Websters problems were more than psychological or that he was truly entitled to an NFL disability. The date on the tiles beside his body appears to read August. Some states may prohibit or restrict the solicitation of donations via the Internet or web sites. After his retirement, Webster suffered from amnesia, dementia, depression, and bone and. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. The head is involved in more baseball injuries than any other body part. The football stadium at Rhinelander High School, his alma mater, is named Mike Webster Stadium in his honor. We were picked up in a limousine and all of us just thought that was the coolest thing. Thanks for your help! Since 2017, the National Football League has paid $714 million for brain damage sustained by 1,023 of its. As a child, Webster idolized Green Bay Packers fullback Jim Taylor. He lived out of his pickup truck or in train stations between Wisconsin and Pittsburgh, even though his friends and former teammates offered to rent apartments for him. [15] Webster's brain resembled those of boxers with "dementia pugilistica", also known as "punch-drunk syndrome". One of the things that hurt him the most is we were pretty much ignored, not just by the NFL, by the Steelers too, Webster commented. https://advocacyforfairnessinsports.org/feature-stories/nfl/when-cte-steals-your-dad-garrett-remembers-mike-webster/. And why it wasnt stopped sooner. My dad said he used to sit next to Upshaw when they went to the Pro Bowl and he considered him a friend. Steelers begin meeting with defenders at the Combine. Mercury Morris: The Owners dont want to pay benefits! Players worry about ending their career, she says. It was too late to undo the harm, however, just as it was too late to dissuade his son Garrett from playing. He didnt watch the games, he didnt know the teams, and he certainly didnt know the name Mike Webster. Thats what shocked us. It was in that spirit that Dr. Omalu, then a junior pathologist at the Allegheny County medical examiner's office in Pittsburgh, began an autopsy on a Saturday morning in September 2002. But Webster refused his panicked sons entreaties to go to a hospital, in part because he didnt have insurance. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, class of 1997. Inside Mike Websters brain, hed make a startling discovery:a disease never previously identified in football players. I remember him showing me the autopsy photos and showing me the brain scans. [8] At the time of his retirement, he was the last active player in the NFL to have played on all four Super Bowl winning teams of the 1970s Steelers. During that time, none of us thought he had this revolutionary condition that was going to change the world. Mike Webster died of a heart attack at age 50 on September 24, 2002, at a Pittsburgh hospital. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. [citation needed], Webster became a free agent following the 1988 season. [dropcap]B[/dropcap]y the time Webster entered the Hall of Fame in July 1997, he had become a recluse, in agony from herniated discs and hand injuries, impoverished and angry at his fate. Elected to football Hall of Fame in 1997, his 2nd year of elgibility. He was a union rep for a long time. Webster recounts the frustration and struggles. After the genocide in Rwanda and atrocities in Srebrenica, Bosnia, in the 1990s, the world vowed never again. Then came the conflict in Darfur, Sudan, which began 20 years ago. Colin remembers that his father was shaking so much from his condition that his desperate solution was to buy a police Taser gun. Even on vacations, hed pack the football sled and push it across a field., Websters former teammates remember him as a quiet, determined man who seemed blessed with a photographic memoryand who studied the game as if every play depended on him. [13] Nonetheless, Webster continued to disappear for weeks at a time without explanation and without contact with friends and family. He wanted to provide support for his family, says Fitzsimmons, who pulled together a raft of supporting medical records, and brought in a psychologist from Marshall University Graduate College, Fred Jay Krieg, to examine Webster.