Joe Namath To Admit He Has Brain Damage Caused By Football

In a story that might have more to do with the John Moffitt story than it may seem at first glance, legendary Jets quarterback Joe Namath, who is most famous for having brashly guaranteed a Jets victory over the prohibitively favored Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III, and then delivered with a solid performance, as the Jets won 16-7, has admitted to having had brain damage caused from football.

On an interview set to air on "CBS Sunday Morning", Namath will discuss the damage that he sustained during his football career, which included not only the brain damage that he will detail further presumably during the interview, but also sustained serious knee injuries (he had to get both knees replaced).

Here are just some of the quotes taken from the Yahoo Sports Shutdown Corner article (and there are surely more to come when the interview is aired):

“I’ve been some through some things medically,” Namath told CBS News reporter Rita Braver. “I’ve seen some things on my brain. But I’ve had some treatment – and I’ve improved."

"None of the body was designed to play football," he said. "Excuse me, you know, football, we’re just not designed for.”

Namath now becomes the highest profile former football player to acknowledge brain damage specifically from playing the sport of football.

Not long ago, it was relatively easy to gloss over such issues, to make light of them, or even dismiss them. The NFL seemed intent on doing just that. It was only a fringe group that expressed real concern, and a desire to change.

Over time, however, the chargers, and the credibility behind them, grew in the public eye, to the point that the NFL could no longer ignore it. Some people have even called for the banning of football. Some have argued that children, including high schoolers, should not be subjected to it. Some have gone farther, and suggested that college football programs are inappropriate and should be banned. And some, still a fringe group at this point, have even argued that professional football needs to go.

Time will tell if those arguments gain traction in the future.

The interview with Joe Namath will air tomorrow morning on CBS's "Sunday Morning" program (check local listings):

Here is the link to the Namath article:


"Joe Namath says he has brain damage from football"  by Jay Busbee of Yahoo Sports Shutdown Corner, January 31, 2014:

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/joe-namath-says-he-has-brain-damage-from-football-173756972.html