Tony Dorsett, the great former NFL running back, began suffering from football-related dementia while still in his fifties. Via the Dallas Morning News, two excerpts from a radio interview in which he discussed the price he’s paid for glory:

On how he’s battling depression and dementia:

“I’m in a battle, obviously. I got diagnosed with CTE and it’s very frustrating at times for me. I’ve got a good team of people around me, my wife and kids, who work with me. When you’ve been in this town for so long and I have to go to some place I’ve been going to for many, many, many years, and then all of a sudden I forget how to get there. Those things are frustrating when it comes to those things. I understand that I’m combating it, trying to get better. But, you know, some days are good. Some days are bad. I signed up for this when, I guess, I started playing football so many years ago. But, obviously, not knowing that the end was going to be like this. But I love the game. The game was good to me. It’s just unfortunate that I’m going through what I’m going through. I’m in the fight, man. I’m not just laying around letting this overtake me. I’m fighting. I’m in the battle. I’m hoping we can reverse this thing somehow.”

On if he’d let his son play football knowing about the effects of concussions:

“Yes I would. I would just be a little bit more concerned about certain injuries. When I was playing, my whole mentality was that if I could walk I’d play. Obviously there’s been a lot done for head injuries. They know a lot more about the brain and head trauma that can be created because of being knocked unconscious so many times. But yeah, the game is still a great game. I’d just be more careful and pay a bit more attention to some of the injuries that I got over the years. It’s football. It’s a very physically demanding sport on one’s body. And when you play football you sign up for that. It’s what you want to do. You like that contact. But, again, you just want to be taken care of if you become injured.”•