Former NFL linebacker Gary Plummer, who retired back in 1998, has been recently diagnosed with early onset of dementia. He estimates that during his playing days, he suffered 2,500 concussions.
Via NBC Sports Bay Area:
Plummer, now 58, sought help and was diagnosed with the early stages of dementia after a career that spanned 15 professional seasons, including three years with the Oakland Invaders of the USFL.
Plummer played his final four seasons with the 49ers. He was two weeks shy of his 38th birthday when he played his final game — a loss to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game in January 1998.
In addition to experiencing memory problems in his post-NFL life, Plummer said he suffered from headaches for approximately 12 years and had not been able to sleep well in 10 to 15 years. Moreover, he has experienced severe anxiety for the the first time.
On the topic of the amount of concussions he’s suffered, Plummer puts the estimate at 10 a game over 250 games played in his career.
“If you’re not getting at least 10 of those a game, as a middle linebacker in the NFL, that means you didn’t play that day,” Plummer said. “I played 250 games. So (with) at least 10 a game, that’s 2,500 concussions.”
That’s an absurd amount of concussions and some pretty impressive math for someone who has suffered that many concussions.
