He played in 4 superbowls, All-pro 7 years, All AFC 5 times, and 9 pro-bowls. I did some work with a brain injury group. He lost money in bad investments. An hour later, standing on the sidelines watching practice, Maddox complains to me: Im really upset that they wont let me play.. 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. Its too tough. . Mike had dementia due to head trauma, a series of blows to the head over a period of time, Krieg says. Bad investment deals drained his assets and his rising anger and confusion, according to his wife, led to fits of rage. There was a problem getting your location. You look at the center position as the foundation, says legendary running back Franco Harris. games, including 177 in a row. He died at age 50, possibly from brain injuries sustained from his work. At 6-foot-1, 255 pounds, he was drafted in the fifth round of the 1974 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. [21] Webster's son Garrett now serves as the administrator to the Brain Injury Research Institute in Pittsburgh, which is dedicated to encouraging individuals who have had head trauma to donate their brains after death as well as being an advocate to players who have similar conditions that his father had. ESPN investigative reporter Mark Fainaru-Wada and his brother, Steve Fainaru, have written "League of Denial," and recently spoke to NPR about it and the league's efforts to deny or at least continue to stall on confirming a link between repeated head injuries and CTE. During that time, none of us thought he had this revolutionary condition that was going to change the world. An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request, There is an open photo request for this memorial. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. Permanent link to this article: https://advocacyforfairnessinsports.org/feature-stories/nfl/when-cte-steals-your-dad-garrett-remembers-mike-webster/. You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. Mike would be the first one at the stadium and the last to leave, he was so afraid to fail, recalls Pamela. Privacy Policy. Greenwood 11 a.m. Monday, Steelers 2023 Pre-NFL Draft visit Tracker, Steelers ticket prices holding steady for 2023, Explaining the differences in ruling a touchdown in the NFL. But the towering six-foot-nine, 340-pound teenager figured he was built for the game, and made it clear to his father he was going ahead with or without help. Find out in the 2015 documentary Outbreak, newly available to stream on FRONTLINEs YouTube channel. Failed to report flower. [2][20] Omalu's findings were largely ignored by the NFL until Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry was diagnosed with CTE shortly after his death at age 26 in 2009. I dont really remember anything of Dad playing before Kansas City, but there are parts of memories. Using findings from the autopsy, Dr. Bennet Omalu studies the long-term effects of football collisions on Mike Webster's brain. 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. 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. based on information from your browser. Additional funding is provided by the Abrams Foundation; the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Park Foundation; the Heising-Simons Foundation; and the FRONTLINE Journalism Fund with major support from Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation, and additional support from Koo and Patricia Yuen. Traumatic brain injuries cause 1.5 times more deaths than AIDS. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button. So Webster launched a single-minded coaching clinic. Money quickly became a problem. He didnt want a handout. [dropcap]S[/dropcap]oon after his last season in 1990, Webster moved, at his wifes urging, back to her hometown of Lodi, Wisconsin. Include gps location with grave photos where possible. There is no photo or video of Michael Allen Webster. We were picked up in a limousine and all of us just thought that was the coolest thing. It was Omalus job to measure the damage. It was kind of like, whats the point of having something if its basically impossible for people to get a pension? Send Flowers. Three days earlier Maddox had suffered such a serious concussion during a game that he was temporarily paralyzed. Obviously there are times when things are in the news you cant avoid. Mike Webster, whose Hall of Fame pro football career was followed by more than a decade of physical and psychological turmoil apparently brought on by repeated blows to the head on the field, died yesterday in a Pittsburgh hospital. Family members linked to this person will appear here. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Mike Webster (8945061)? He also relished his indestructible image. It's a sobering look at the state of the league in wake of its $765 million settlement with over 4,000 former players who brought a class action suit against the NFL over these issues. That same year, his lawyer, Robert Fitzsimmons, finally won Webster a $115,000 yearly payment from the NFL for a football-related disability. I could feel a pat on my shoulder, almost a whisper in my ear, Everythings going to be all right., On a chill afternoon in November, Steelers owner Dan Rooney sits in his office, fondly recalling Iron Mike. As Omalu recalls in the following clip from League of Denial: Inside the NFLs Concussion Crisis, suddenly the criticism was no longer about his research. With the Steelers winning Super Bowl IX, X, XIII, and XIV, Webster and Terry Bradshaw form one of the best-known centerquarterback pairs in history. A traumatic brain injury occurs every 15 seconds. The patient on the table was Mike Webster, a former center for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Mike Webster, 50, Dies; Troubled Football Hall of Famer, https://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/25/sports/mike-webster-50-dies-troubled-football-hall-of-famer.html. After Mikes death, when the family was approached by Dr. Bennett Omalu to help with his research on CTE and athletes, it was the beginning of a new chapter for the Webster family as well. Webster grew up on a 640-acre potato farm near Harshaw, Wisconsin. His struggle with mental illness, as a result of CTE, at the end of his life was depicted in the 2015 film Concussion. Also like the others, he tried to shrug it off. He exhibited unusual changes in behavior, and became so agitated and restless that he used electroshock weapons on himself to induce sleep. Due to Webster's responsibilities on his family's farm, he did not play football until his junior year. Brain injuries cause more deaths than any other sports injury. Failed to remove flower. A system error has occurred. Advocacy for Fairness in Sports is a nonprofit dedicated to investigative sports journalism. Iron Mike Webster played in the NFL between 1974 and 1990, winning four Super Bowls The price of that glory would not become apparent until Webster died aged just 50 the NFL are counting. In football, brain injuries account for 65% to 95% of all fatalities. Webster played center for 15 seasons (1974-88) for the Steelers and two seasons (1989-90) for the Kansas City Chiefs. In Will Smiths movie Concussion, the actor portrays the pathologist Bennet Omalu, who first revealed proof of footballs deleterious effects on players brains and published breakthrough papers in medical journals on the degenerative brain disease he discovered, chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE. Call 1-800-GAMBLER. When I was young, he said he wanted me to be somebody, like a lawyer, says Garrett, who moved in with his father three years ago. Jets: Everything you need to know, Ryan Clark thinks Steelers will make the playoffs, Steelers Injury Report: Markus Wheaton out for Week 6 vs. Pittsburgh Steeler center Mike Webster was the first NFL player Omalu autopsied. A forensic pathologist, Omalu conducted the autopsy of Pittsburgh Steelers center Mike Webster, which led to his discovery of a new disease that he named 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. It's sad.''. He stopped hanging out with the family as much. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. You can find out when League of Denial airs on your local PBS station here. In 1999, he was ranked number 75 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. Hed zap himself to calm his nerves. I had some things to think through. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. Leah Gray does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding . He was the Steelers' offensive captain for nine years. Bennet Omalu, the forensic neuropathologist who did the autopsy, said death was due to heart. When he needed help, during the whole time when we were suing for that original pension, the NFLPA, the people who were supposed to represent the players, that guys like Dad paid into their pension to support, never reached out, never said, hey Mike, what can we do for you?, If anything the union was in the way of my dad getting his pensions, Webster added. But since he passed away, nobody in the family gets any more of that pension.. He gave an emotional news conference apologizing for any embarrassment and sadness hed caused, and was sentenced to probation. I want to earn, you know, I want to pay off my debts. [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. The following years were rough for Websters family as his fathers cognitive decline affected his ability to provide for the family. Im mad about whats happened to you, about the life you kids missed out on. Thats what hurt the most because a lot of those guys, especially Gene Upshaw, were people that my dad thought of as friends. [7] Webster is also perhaps the best known of a long line of All-Pro centers for the Steelers. [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. Webster's estate brought a lawsuit in Maryland's U.S. District Court against the National Football League. [dropcap]M[/dropcap]ike Webster grew up on a potato farm near Tomahawk, Wisconsin, where rooting for the Green Bay Packers was a religion. In 1997, just before his Hall of Fame induction, his troubled life became public, and he told The Atlanta Journal and Constitution: ''Because of all this publicity over my situation, people treat me like I'm dying or something. Advocacy for Fairness in Sports is a nonprofit dedicated to investigative sports journalism. Michael Lewis Webster (March 18, 1952 September 24, 2002) was an American professional football player who was a center in the National Football League (NFL) from 1974 to 1990 with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs. 1.5 million Americans suffer from traumatic brain injuries. Former Steeler Webster dies at age 50. He put on a brave front, though, for his two daughters. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. Follow @NealCoolong There's a broad definition of what living out of your car is. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. The condition, known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, was the first hard evidence that playing football could cause permanent brain damage. "If you take out the head injuries, Dad was ruled completely disabled from football," Webster explained. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. But Harris thinks about the risks that Mikes son will face. Through interviews with former players, scientists and other experts on the concussion issue, it examines what the NFL knew about the risks of such injuries, and when it knew it. Ben Roethlisberger tied Webster's record in the 2018 season, and broke it in 2019[9], While, at the time of his retirement, the Steelers were no longer officially retiring jersey numbers, Webster's No. The book's author. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. Michael Lewis Webster (March 18, 1952 - September 24, 2002) was an American professional football player who was a center in the National Football League (NFL) from 1974 to 1990 with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs. A man who, despite his anger at his own fate, was nonetheless trying at the end of his life to teach his beloved sport to a football-crazy son. Later, he was treated for depression and symptoms of congestive heart failure. Thanks for your help! Biography He was born on March 18, 1952, in Tomahawk, Wisconsin, USA, as Michael Lewis Webster. [22], Nicknamed "Iron Mike", Webster's reputation for durability led him to play even through injuries. The financial strain couldnt fully explain his increasingly bizarre behavior, however. Too proud to ask his teammates for help, Webster was eventually befriended by a fan, Sunny Jani, who sought Mike out after reading about his troubles in the newspaper. Webster had several million dollars in assets when he retired, so it shocked Pamela when their Victorian house was foreclosed 18 months after he left football. I wish the NFL would do that stuff with us and with other families. Growing up in Nigeria, Dr. Bennet Omalu knew next to nothing about American football. Were definitely part of that. Following his graduation in 1969, Webster committed to the University of WisconsinMadison. Elected to football Hall of Fame in 1997, his. He didn't play high school ball until his junior year, but won a scholarship to Wisconsin. 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. [citation needed]. And I don't want their pity. Hed open doors for me, hed call when he said hed call. Have you ever been in a car accident? the doctor asked. Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? Websters finances remain a muddle, but from conversations with his family and lawyers, it appears he poured most of his savings into investments that went bad. Some states may prohibit or restrict the solicitation of donations via the Internet or web sites. Associated Press. Just acknowledge it and say, how can we prevent this stuff from happening again? This reliable family man who used to read his children Bible stories at bedtime began to get in his car and disappear for days. Mike was also on the sidelines at every game. Omalu described Webster's brain as one of "boxers, very old people with Alzheimer's disease or someone who had suffered a severe head wound.". [13] Nonetheless, Webster continued to disappear for weeks at a time without explanation and without contact with friends and family. Two Very Different NFLs for Andrew Luck and Amon Gordon, Andrew Lucks retirement, and pain he endured, hit close to home for former Charger, Brain Injury Casts a Dark Cloud Over NFLs 100th Season, New Report Projects Minimum 10% of NFL Players will Develop CTE, Tamarick Vanover chronicles classic story of disposable NFL players, The story of Bill Cesare demonstrates how little the NFL and NFLPA do to take care of former players, The Story of an NFL Wife a Conversation with Cyndy Feasel. !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)? Oops, something didn't work. For years prior to his death, he battled symptoms resembling depression, dementia, and amnesia. Our piece addressed the role that the thousands of concussions Webster sustained during his football career affected his brain and contributed to his death in 2002 at age 50. Add to your scrapbook. Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. Our piece addressed the role Removing Old Blood Stains Mrsa Pictures On Face Staph versus MRSA Pictures: What's the difference? Garrett shared his experiences of his late father, going through the initial stages of the NFL settlement, the familys relationship with the NFL/Steelers and the community of families who have similarly been affected by neurological diseases. A lot of people forget this started out as a discussion and examination of the NFLs retirement policy and how almost impossible it was to get the benefits. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. Our piece addressed the role that the thousands of concussions Webster sustained during his football career affected his brain and contributed to his death in 2002 at age 50. This psychological aspect of just being ignored was the hardest part and what we had to keep reliving. If you buy something from an SB Nation link, Vox Media may earn a commission. We have set your language to In the autopsy room, Omalu snapped on his gloves and approached the slab. Some of them were subtle. Court documents arent free, and you can be a difference-maker by helping us to meet the expenses necessary to remain ad-free and provide the coverage youve come to expect over the past three years. Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. This account has been disabled. 52 has not been reissued by the team since he retired. League of Denial: The NFL's Concussion Crisis, Aaron Hernandez Found To Have Had "Severe" Case of CTE, NFL Acknowledges a Link Between Football, CTE, What the NFL's New Concussion Numbers Don't Answer, From the Archives: How the World's Deadliest Ebola Outbreak Unfolded, Russias Invasion of Ukraine, One Year Later, War Crimes Watch Ukraine: More Than 650 Documented Events, From the Archives: How the U.N. & World Failed Darfur Amid "the 21st Century's First Genocide". You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. draft until the fifth round, when he was selected by the Steelers. Thats what for whatever reason they dont do because lets be real, they could settle with every single one of the people in this lawsuit for the maximum amount and make the money back.. One of the best silver linings in the course of the situation has been the community of families that either are enduring or have endured similar circumstances that the Websters are part of. Drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1974, he played for 17 seasons, 15 with the Steelers. 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. He discovered that Webster . This is a carousel with slides. Half-Time in the CBA A conversation with Ben Leber, Report Released By Cyrus Mehri Details Anti-Labor Stance Within NFLPA, Cyrus Mehris Candidacy Reveals New NFLPA Constitution and Fresh Vision for Players Union, How the NFLPA may have fumbled player safety. After his retirement, Webster suffered from amnesia, dementia, depression, and bone and. If you have questions, please contact [emailprotected]. But then, Maddox wasnt there at Mike Websters funeral. A couple of months later, they got ahold of the actual paperwork. Former colleagues soon began to hear disturbing stories about him, but no one knew what was wrong, and Webster was mystified and frustrated himself, embarrassed that he couldnt seem to hold a job or even remember scheduled meetings. Rather, a league doctor would tell him, the trouble was in the implications for football. He said he was using the drug to treat brain damage caused by repeated head injuries that had led him to behave erratically. Omalu published his findings, believing NFL officials would want to know more. The email does not appear to be a valid email address. Thats when, as Pamela says, Mike changed. He seemed physically disoriented and started to behave strangely. The original plan was that he would retire as a Steeler and then he was going to coach, Webster recounted. You'll receive access to exclusive information and early alerts about our documentaries and investigations. (Photo by Gaelen Morse/Getty Images) Mike Webster attended the University of Wisconsin from 1970 to 1973. . Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. 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. Gary Pomerantz's book "Their Life's Work" details Webster's playing days as well as his final ones, highlighting how Dan Rooney appealed on Webster's behalf for disability benefits - something the league did not immediately grant him. My dad said he used to sit next to Upshaw when they went to the Pro Bowl and he considered him a friend. That morning, on a stainless steel autopsy table inside the Allegheny County coroner's office in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, lay the body of Mike Webster, the legendary center of the Pittsburgh . Inside Mike Websters brain, hed make a startling discovery:a disease never previously identified in football players. Webster is seen as an example of the difficulties American football players suffer when their careers are over. I remember really distinctly two days after he passed away when our lawyer came to us, said he was contacted by Dr. Omalu and he wanted to do a brain exam. He couldnt concentrate, he had difficulty focusing, the conversation was rambling. Krieg adds there was no other explanation for Websters deterioration; the repeated banging of his brain against his skull had damaged the brains nerve cells. a famous neuropathologist, performed an autopsy on Webster's brain in 2002. According to CDC estimates,1.6-3.8 million sports and recreation related concussions occur in the United States each year. In any given season, 10% of all college players and 20% of all high school players sustain brain injuries. Between 2001-2005, children and youth ages 5-18 years old accounted for 2.4 million sports-related emergency department (ED) visits annually, of which 6% (135,000) involved a concussion. Mike Webster's brain sat for two weeks in a white plastic bucket of formaldehyde at the morgue. Prosecutors just showed an image of Michael Jackson 's dead, naked body sprawled on a gurney -- taken hours after the singer died. That changed in 2002 when Omalu was assigned to perform an autopsy on the legendary Steelers center. Are you sure that you want to delete this photo? ''I couldn't have been the player I was without him,'' Bradshaw said. Please ensure you have given Find a Grave permission to access your location in your browser settings. (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. Please contact Find a Grave at [emailprotected] if you need help resetting your password. You couldnt help but take it as a slap in the face. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? Find the obituary of Michael Allen Webster (1957 - 2023) from Knoxville, TN. AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, (select parishes), MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY, CA-ONT only.Eligibility restrictions apply. It hurt him. Why the Steelers shouldnt give up on Kevin Dotson. As things came out with the concussion it was a big can of worms. This guy thinks he can come up with an answer, a solid, concrete answer for why Dad struggled so much. 87% of professional boxers have sustained a brain injury. No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. Often unable to pay for medicine, Webster would shake so hard he couldnt drive his son to school. Verify and try again. The article is printed in its entirety below. He couldnt sleep the night before a game, he was so wound up, says Bill Webster, Mikes father. 10% of all contact sport athletes sustain concussions yearly. Jani began to handle the increasingly frequent crises, bailing Webster out of awkward jams. His wife Pamela stated years later that she felt that she caused Webster's change in personality in the years before his death and placed guilt on herself over her decision to divorce Webster, until discovering after his death about the CTE diagnosis. Pittsburgh steeler center mike Webster was the first nfl player omalu autopsied. Pam Webster had to take a job as a waitress to support her family, and the couple ultimately divorced, shortly before Mike's death at age 50. But Webster tried to reassure people that his life was not as damaged as it seemed. Pamela put up with it for a while, but the couple separated for the first time around 1992 (she finally divorced a reluctant Webster last March after years of living apart). The Steelers now-retired public-relations man Joe Gordon says, I got a call from the manager of the Amtrak station, saying Mike is here and he slept here last night. Gordon found Webster there, poring over brochures and talking excitedly about a plan to market celebrity photosThis could be bigbut he had no place to sleep. I think thats how he felt. I remember him showing me the autopsy photos and showing me the brain scans. Contrary to rumors, Webster never admitted to using anabolic steroids during his career, even though they were legal at the time. Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The father and son slept on the floor, surrounded by pizza boxes. Whats Next in the Face-Off Between Kaepernick and the NFL? We all worked hard, but none as hard as Mike did. Webster, who anchored the Pittsburgh offensive line through a dominant stretch of the middle and late 1970s, passed in 2002. And why it wasnt stopped sooner. Professional Football Player. The latest mock draft from ESPNs Mel Kiper Jr. has the Steelers keeping it "all in the family". But Webster's transition to post-football life was filled with setbacks. Like in the Concussion movie, he had spent years battling depression, dementia, amnesia, and severe back pain. Webster had died at 50, but to Omalu, he looked far older. '', Chuck Noll, his Steelers coach, said, ''He was very smart, a great technician.''. Mike Webster, nicknamed - Iron Mike, was an American professional football player who played center for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1974 to 1988. For example, my mom, shes part of a number of wives groups of former and current NFL players that talk and support each other with what goes on with concussions and CTE and stuff like that. The cause of death was a heart attack, the Pittsburgh Steelers said. Things in general, they're getting a lot better. He didnt watch the games, he didnt know the teams, and he certainly didnt know the name Mike Webster. , embellishments remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $ 5 all worked hard, but are. 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Nfl draft by the Pittsburgh offensive line through a dominant stretch of the difficulties American football numbers. They were legal at the center position as the foundation, says Bill Webster 50! When he said hed call injury group have been the player i was without him, the forensic who. Coach, Webster recounted he passed away, nobody in the Face-Off Between Kaepernick and the last to leave he... Farm, he looked far older Nonetheless, Webster suffered from amnesia, and severe back..