Charlie Garner, a former NFL running back who finished his career with the Tampa Bay Bucs, is strugging with brain trauma, he says.
Garner says he suffered at least 12 concussions a year while playing, and doctors believe he is dealing with the early stages of the Cronric Traumatic Encephalopathy.
“I don’t have all of my faculties anymore,” Garner told the Sporting News. “I can’t remember things. When I go to the mall or grocery store, I have to take one of my kids with me to remember where the car is parked. I have trouble remembering converations I had five minutes ago. Bright lights bother me. I just don’e feel right all of the time.”
Garner, 45, gained 7,097 yards in the NFL. He spent 2004 with the Bucs, playing in three games and gaining 111 yards before he was hurt.
“Footbakk gave me a good lifestyle for me and my family, Garner said. “But I might end up paying a big price for it.”
