Pro Football Hall of Famer Forrest Gregg has revealed that he has Parkinson’s Disease. And he thinks his football career may have caused it.
Gregg told the Associated Press he, his family and his neurologist believe the disease may be linked to concussions he suffered during his playing career.
The 78-year-old Gregg, who was diagnosed last month, said he doesn’t know how many concussions he suffered as a player, either at SMU in the 1950s, or with the Packers and Cowboys from 1956 to 1971.
“One time in college, I went over to the other team’s bench,” Gregg said. “I woke up with an ice pack on the back of my neck and I said, ‘What’s going on?’ They said, ‘You’ve been gone for a while.’ So that’s what I know about concussions. That’s what I know about getting hit.”
Gregg said he decided to go public with his diagnosis because he wants to promote research into Parkinson’s.