Vincent Jackson’s widow speaks on CTE in an exclusive ABC News interview l NTL
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- Опубліковано 14 січ 2025
- Vincent Jackson spent 12 years in the NFL as a wide receiver. After his death in February, the autopsy revealed he had Stage 2 CTE, a degenerative brain disease common among former football players.
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This is so sad. Vincent Jackson was a beast on the field..RIP #83
20 yrs of football HS, college, NFL and not one concussion is hard to believe. He was a tough physical guy unafraid of middle of the field too.
i literally got a concussion just playing pickup football as a kid
He still banged his head thousands of times and all those small hits add up to CTE
Maybe no concussions that he or anyone else knows of but the constant G force collisions over years took its toll.
I am afraid for Antonio Brown too. He was returning punts and getting the most receptions for 5 years. That is TON of damage to the brain. His decision making over the last few years is troubling.
I have been saying it too for a while Antonio Brown recents behavior is concerning
I told people, AB ain't been the same since that Bengals playoff game when he got hit in the End Zone.
Same
Totally agree
@@Reecesavage-Alwayswin Reece nailed it. That hit by Burfict changed AB forever.
Went to the same High School with Vincent and he’s a legend in Colorado! God bless his family and may He comfort those who mourn.
Repeated "Sub-concussive blows" (below the level of concussion) hockey , gymnastics , jump rope , boxing , ufc , soccer (heading) , some auto racing ,,, there is a fantastic prototype helmet for contact sports (its a fifty year old design) but greed won , they didn't want "pay" the inventor (as usual)
Add to that "toxoplasmosis " the two together is an even deadlier brick wall , they both can cause some of same symptoms : parkinsons , headaches , memory loss , severe depression , cyst like nodules
That legacy took his life.
I went to rehab for hibitual alcoholism back in 2021 and met a dude named Steve who played college football with Vincent at UNC. His name is Steve and he is one of the best men I’ve ever met in my life.. Vincent was his best friend in college.. ❤❤ rip Vincent
How's he gonna comfort them wen he's dead
The NFL says they care about safety yet they went to 17 games and may go to 18. Really sad.
They care about $afety.
They care about safety a lot. First down!
@@jondoh3471 flag!
I was crying watching this .made me realize how much I appreciate my life
My husband played FB for 10 years, HS, College and Europe. He has CTE and Dementia at age 42.
Sorry to hear that. I hope there is some treatment to help him manage. I think Kyle Turley uses cannibis.
Just curious, but I thought CTE is only diagnosed after passing? Sorry if it was just a typo.
@@blackshot Correct. Based on the symptomology, we are certain he suffers from CTE. But, the proteins within the brain are confirmed only by post mortem exam. We are certain based on his history of concussions and trauma.
@@blackshot Got her! Lmao
@@sebastianfairchild4733 No, you are the one who has been got. Check her response
She seems like such a sweet woman. May she have a great life as a great mother
Rest in in peace , love watching him play. Especially with the Chargers ⚡️❤️
One of the best athletes I seen, and that’s not even a quarter of the person he was. when he played in SD he was always doing something in the community with LT, hope your family heals Jackson’s 🙏🏻
I remember watching him play college ball at Northern Colorado RIP Vincent
Beautiful story! Thank you so much for sharing your journey, Mrs. Jackson.
Very informative. It should give pause to every young man about a career in football specifically.
He died from chronic alcohol use
@@williamgullett5911 ya but whyyy...based on wat u just said we should say someone die from a car accident, but from hitting their head on the driver's seat, during the accident.
CTE is an insidious opponent, and it takes years to surface. The NFL still has lots of work to do to mitigate this crippling disease. RIP Vincent.
Yuy
Football players get injury from high school to college and then when they hit NFL they're already damaged.. you can't blame the NFL just because they have the money
So sad. They have such beautiful kids😔. I use to love watching him play. Rest In Peace Vincent Jackson 🙏🏽.
This is so sad. He was one of the great ones, never forgotten.
I've dealt with this for over 35 years.
My worst was a 12 day headache from a concussion.
Flag football concussions I experienced were the worst.
Sending prayers and healing energy 🙏
Flag football?? Can't even play that?
This guy is a troll
Do you have forgetfulness ? headaches ? What symptoms of CTE do you have?
As a Falcons fan I always dreaded facing Jackson. May he RIP.
RIParadise V Jack 🕊🙏🏽 Prayers to her and the kids 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
CTE has destroyed my life, i played 10 years as a DE and LB in the 90's. The amount of collisions i have went through is in the thousands. Today i fight addiction, i listen to UA-cam videos about attitude and am on a very strict diet that promotes mental and physical health. CTE isnt the only issue with football, there also the issue of the mental aspect of celebrating assaulting another human and what happens to those that are celebrated for hurting others and what happens when they are in society.
How is your memory now? What team did you play for? I'm sorry you're affected, I do know they have some good neurological regeneration centers in this country🍻.
@@ErnestoBootsi have issues remembering names, forget about remembering the lyrics of a song. I wanted to be in a play, couldnt remember the lines. Thats now, over ten years ago my key remotez battery went out so i couldnt hit the panic alarn to find my car, I would think some stoled my car cuz i couldnt remember where i parked. I started studing a guy named Dr. Daniel Amen and followed his guide to regenerate brain repair and startes playing video games to help simulate thinking ahead and this helped out
@@californiacavemandastardly6538 Do you have forgetfulness ? headaches ? What symptoms of CTE do you have?
I always thought not playing in the NFL was my greatest failure, but now I'm wondering if it was a blessing in disguise😢😢🙏🙏
I agree. I wanted to be a football player when I was kid. I’m glad I didn’t. Either you end up broken in the body or in the brain.
Try rugby union which doesn't use helmets its worse alot of players didn't even know wat they had and I've noticed the effects it's grim I'm seeking help it's really not worth it.
I have teammates from high school who gave their heart and soul. I’m sure a few of them are suffering from it now. Two drills stick out in my mind. “Oklahoma” and “Slant Drills” makes me wonder those who tried to prove their toughness by “putting their helmet right on the numbers” are suffering now...
“Toughness”? More like retardation...
So heartbreaking 💔
His love for and your children is ETERNAL.
REST WELL -- MR. VINCENT JACKSON
Action Jackson thanks for the football memories,you were one of the best to play your position. .R.I.P brother
Shocked I didn't know that he'd pass RIP Vincent Jackson 🙏
I didn't know either
Why do people act like we need a doctor to tell you if someone bangs on your head for an extended period of time that will not end well for you
Because football is akin to religion in certain parts of this country and any scientific opinion that goes against that notion and may label it brain dangerous gets them labeled a crack doctor or illegitimate in nature. Delusional people.
She's so gorgeous.. R.I.P.
Just heartbreaking! 💔
Love him as a Charger, being San Diego fan miss him
I really wish people in this country would start realizing the severity of mental illness. Just because you can’t see an ailment with somebody it doesn’t mean they are not hurting. Rather it be addiction, depression, or bi-polar let’s try to be more cognisant of mental illness and help those who are suffering from it. Not shame them and call them names
It's not a country thing, it's a world thing and it will never be easy to recognize
Thank you. I have bipolar and certain I have CTE.
Cte isnt a mental illness its a physical illness. Mental illness is different
I met Vincent multiple times at my bar. He didn't drink anything but bottled water and he was a really cool guy. Wasn't as tall as I thought he would be - actually he look 1 or 2 inches shorter than me and I'm 6'1"
He was an absolute beast on the field.
I liked Vince. RIP. Just rest brother.
So sad, he was so young.
I played 9 years in the NFL. This is very sad and unfortunate. Marijuana is the answer fam.
My life turned around once I started using weed as medication. Kyle Turley an ex NFL lineman is an advocate for the use of weed as medication. His story is what lead me to educating myself on the health benefits of cannabis. My brain was absolutely showing signs of the effects of CTE. A small dose of cannabis and it was like my mind returned to a calm space that I had not felt since high school.
As an ex athlete you have to rehab your body the rest of your life. The brain is just as important as your knees, back, joints…..etc.
Aside from the brain, what other physical effects from playing football have you experienced?
Who did u play for? I am glad weed helped u recover
Another dependency that's all
How are you currently?
She's not telling everything what was his business doing how was he financially and the fact he was separated from his wife and kids will take a toll on anyone
The spouses never want to say that part. The man virtually killed himself for his family, and still died alone in a motel. To be fair though, if he wasn't separated from his family, who's to say another Chris Benoit event may not have happened. All round the conclusion is unacceptable really.
They need to revise this sport
Why
No. Those players know what they sign up for. A lot of these guys come from poor families and football is their only chance to improve their lives or that of their family. Don’t take that away from them.
Damn. He definitely died with the most dignity I've ever seen for someone dying alone in a motel. He's got a legacy and kids.
cte is no joke. i’m a fan of combat sports and my family is a football family, but i’ve always been weary of the tbi that occur. just terrible.
Seriously,they don’t know yet.Everybody guessing and want to be on T V.
@@tiptoe38 the report says death from chronic alcohol abuse
💔🧡 Ms your remarkable & so are your kids because ur extensions of light of ur lost loved one... Your in my heart & prayers always 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
Damn I can only imagine what kind of trauma the players went through who played back in the day without all of the protections gear wise we have today these players sacrifice so much for our entertainment and no one is doing enough to make sure that they have the proper treatment and awareness of just what it is they’re sacrificing.
it’s actually not better now because the protective gear allows people to hit harder without just cracking their skulls open or something. these hard hits build up to cause cte (the head doesn’t even need to be contacted to cause the brain to slam around)
@@SkiingIsBelieving859 smh what are you talking about? There was a point in time when, football was played with LEATHER helmets. They are continuously trying to improve the safety of football helmets, to decrease head trauma from happening. The discovering of CTE just came about, not even 20 years ago (2002)...football has been around since 1920. Do the math, yourself.
@@davidleonard7439 what is your point? helmets protect your skull but do very little to prevent your brain from banging around in your skull when you are hit. You can get concussions/mild brain damage from just getting hit on the body or slamming into the ground even if your head doesn’t get hit at all. Better helmets could potentially reduce the forces of a direct hit to your head but almost definitely not enough to prevent CTE.
I think the problem is that players are too damn big and too damn fast. The coaches don't coach tackling as much as they coach hitting.
@@davidleonard7439 people didn't crack heads back then with leather helmets fool. When they got full geared helmets head on head contacts got out of control.
R.I.P. Brotha. Prayers for his wife and family.
RIP A LEGEND
After sparring I'm always having really bad headaches so now I'm thinking how much CTE do I have
Did you stop sparring?
CTE is years of repetitive head blows and truama. How long have you been sparring?
How are you currently?
I always liked that dude. RIP VJ
Got to work them on their charity giving back to military kids. Awesome family!! Prayers and blessings to them
Every time I see a football player get his head smacked really hard I think of the ramifications later on with his general health. It’s not healthy to have your brain hit over and over and over again. Alot of these guys get Alzheimer’s disease or Dementia later on too. Junior Seau commited suicide and the doctors said it was directly connected with trauma to the brain. I really feel for these guys.
Heartbreaking R.I.P VJ
Gotta explain why he was in a hotel by himself for a month. Can't let her just sweep that under the rug
So sad. I feel for her.
RIP Vincent 💐💐💐💐
RIP MR JACKSON...I REMEMBER HIS GAMES...
The report came out saying Jackson died of chronic alcohol use
She is absolutely describing Antonio Brown!
So strong. What a tremendous woman. God bless you and your children.
My heart breaks for her :( he died alone in a hotel like an addict not like someone with a head injury 😭🤦🏼♀️ prayer
do you think addicts deserve to die in that way? the way you typed it makes it seem so. addiction is a disease. stop acting like it’s not.
No he died like a man who hadn’t given that c word everything. She’s crying now someone should tell her tf off tf?
Umm you do realize he was an alcoholic also right? Most times addiction is a symptom of a bigger problem. Rather it be mental illness or a physical injury. Please go educate yourself before making a comment like this. Like a commenter already said, just because a person is suffering from a substance use disorder, it doesn’t mean they deserve to die alone in a hotel room. NOONE should die like this. I don’t care who you are or what your problems are
Crazy that he died of chronic alcohol abuse. I met him multiple times at my bar/club and he never drank anything other than bottled water. That was back in 2013 though.
Never leave your love one alone "sick" to live in a hotel. Take him to a neurologist to at least get a diagnosis with a CT scan.
CTE is also an issue in MMA and pro-wrestling as well and it is being talked about a lot more.
Former UFC fighter Spencer Fisher is slurring his speech now because he was so concerned about putting on a show for the fans than winning with taking the minimal damage as possible.
Diego Sanchez is another one I'm seriously concerned about and Justin Gaethje as well
R.I.P. Vincent Jackson. 🙏🏾
Well loved Buc. 🙏🏼
“Take time apart”…. Means she kicked him out
Exactly
She was protecting her children. The husband/fathers get very violent and don’t realize it.
@@mikedeleon5617 - If you want to call living with a husband and father who has CTE, who doesn’t recall how the lights were ripped out of the ceiling while his children were watching or when he carried a moped up a flight of stairs with ONE hand and threw it at his children…….try explaining to the children who are in the ER, why Daddy did this to them.
If you call that “must be nice being a female” you have no idea what it’s like being judged by some inexperienced jerk shooting his mouth off.
@@redrose41000 I thought 🤔 they were there children!!!!!!
@@RodMurray777 - They are my children. I was speaking about my experience with my former OT husband, responding to Mike Deleons rude comment to me.
as much as i now loved NFL and can't live without it, i believe it's about time to provide better safety or simple cancel the sport, its too violent
The NFL is far more concerned about covid than cte
Sad thing is...ppl will keep sacrificing their lives for this sport smh
Football, ufc, rugby, boxing. Damn people have died from baseball. People have q choice to sacrifice their life for monetary gains. Not the wisest choice but who am to say no you can't do this. I'm all for safety thi.
@@TheCh0sen0neisawesom the problem is people don’t know how to make smart decisions when they’re given an “opportunity” like the nfl. humans didn’t evolve to weight the benefits of millions of dollars against the cons of brain damage that makes your life unbearable
@@SkiingIsBelieving859 I mean I'm positive nost males given the option to play in the NFL for millions of dollars a year. With a small chance of getting cte they'd take it. I mean last Thursday one of the chargers player's fell and his whole body locked up.
The majority of people sacrifice their lives for their jobs which don’t pay nearly as much. Maybe not through head injury but still.
@@TheCh0sen0neisawesom i don’t think the risk of cte is small unfortunately. and yes i know about Donald Parham, super scary. no amount of money makes cte worth it. the disease makes life unbearable and often leads to suicide. furthermore, it’s completely traumatizing for the families of players.
Sad part is he died alone and with no help. No one besides police reached out to him for days. Still have his chargers jersey to this day
How sad! May he rest in peace! 🌺
RIP to Jackson and we can only hope his wife and children have been able to move on in a happy way
I'm sure Vincent's wife was loving the income that was coming in during Vincent's successful career. CTE was a relevant topic during his years. So my point is that we all know the risks involved with football but sometimes we don't want the bad end of those risks.
you know it, I'm sure she wasn't about to tell him to give up football when all of that money was coming in.
@@bubblybubbles4023 how easy it is to walk in somebody else’s shoes. The fkng truth of the matter is nobody is privy to other people’s private lives!!! SMFH!!!
@Jeremy Resch - You haven’t a clue. This statement goes to show how ignorant you are….🤦🏻♀️
@@bubblybubbles4023- 🤦🏻♀️
To all the fallen heroes, we honor you.
I played tackle football since the age of 5 to 19 at a local JC. I had 4 known concussions and till this day my memory is horrible and I have bad headaches. I forget so much and I’m honestly so worried
How are you currently?
Alot of players start playing football at 8 years old so from 8 to 30 years old blows to the head imagine what that can do to the 🧠
Yeah sum fall victim and sum don't
"oh he's got a hard head" that's what they said about kids like this when I was younger.
Damn! I feel her pain; he was a good player.
The moment she said no to her son playing tackle football it’s the beginning of the end for the sport.
I don't want football in my life due to CTE it's terrible and I love football I wish I could watch it, but knowing what the end of the road for those players is I can't get used to it. Many like this dude have gone through the same fate and are going through the same fate in their YOUTH. I don't support football it's a poor choice for a sport; rather see the gladiators killing one another quickly * metaphor here - then this terrible pain for many years to come.
Sad, he had a beautiful family.
heartbreaking....
Very sad, RIP Vincent Jackson , my respect for his widow.
Smart mom, having played football myself I’d never let my kids play. Don’t be stupid if you have kids who want to play, it’s not worth it!
So where was she when he was going through all this she didn't care the NFL pension was coming in and trying to tell you this is sad he side of the family they need to do something because this woman she knew what she was doing
The league need to listen to this wonderful! Hyperbaric chamber therapy is what Broadway had and it improved his life. I hope the former players take advantage of this Doctor and Doctors like her to get the help the players need. The league needs to do a better job for the well being of retired and former players.
It helped Joe Montana too.
@@ericvid
GREAT NEWS! I like to hear more success stores of combating the debilitating effects of CTE. The NFL needs to get off THEIR derriere and use the hyperbaric chamber therapy as effective way to improve former NFLers lives.
Every time the subject of CTE comes up this lady doctor is acting like she discovered it. Give Bennet Omalu the credit he deserves.
I played football for 17 years - from when I was 5 up until I graduated college. So thankful I didn't have any major brain injuries during my time, just a bunch of broken fingers and such. It helps being a lineman because you don't get hit at high rates of speed in the head like you do as a receiver or running back, or a defender. It is definitely a violent sport and it is great to see them taking concussions much more serious now.
You got CTE for sure.
Fo Sho... for sho, U got that Fo Sho! Subconcussive hits in large numbers do pretty much the same thing.The kind Linemen take most plays. Ball handlers have way less of those. Check out Mike Webster ✌🤟🤙
@@joehoward2442 not necessarily some retired players get away with it. I’m sure it’s a combination of multiple things but it’s The roll of a dice 🎲
I guarantee you it's more to the story
Inform us then bud
Just found out he died during the NFL honors
I loved him being a chargers fan growing up
His chronic alcohol abuse””””””
Is what I’m currently going through
Look at her she's not even crying
She did cry ya dickhead
VJ 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻😢
It really sucks that she said he died ashamed and alone. That’s the worst part. He felt severe brain damage was a character flaw.
she wasnt there for him, thats why he was sad and alone. she left him she ignored him, she probably forced the party drug and drinking lifestyle after games on him, thats probably how they met some whiskey and coke
Rest n peace big VJ he'll of a football player
Wow... This is very sad
I’m pretty sure Antonio Brown has CTE which is really sad
R.I.P. BROTHER
The knowledge is out there,if u play in the NFL you more then likely will develop CTE. It's up to you to decide if the millions are worth it or do you wanna stress out over finances like the rest of us. His NFL career enabled him to take care of his family probably for the rest of their lives. So young ...🙏
Jackson been playing since he was a kid. It wasn't just the NFL
"Like the rest of us" lol oh man you really dont understand who is screwing you over if you're blaming other workers 🤦♀️
For many it's generational altering money. Guys that make hundreds of millions that will even benefit even your grandchildren's children. Yes there is a risk taken but some ex-players have lived into their 90's with no CTE issues. For most people it's worth the risk.
people didn’t evolve to be able to weigh millions of dollars against potential future brain damage. in tons of other areas of life, the government has laws to protect people from themselves so i think it should be the same with football
Watch League of Denial and see how the NFL knew and covered it up
This is amazing case CTE PTSD rip Daphne newton RN Omaha Nebraska
It's not just the NFL that need to evaluate CTE. Many kids are being exposed to the same conditions and will carry the problems into adulthood.
You know what pisses me off. Is that the nfl is the only reason she married him, the reason we know him yet they want to tear the league down like it’s some mom and pop business that doesn’t make millionaires. Reality check. What killed him is what made his life great!
Knocked out so many times not addressed by ER after car accident with loss of consciousness, by brother, serval other. It is sad most do not even think of compassion with head injuries.
Please remember many people never get diagnosed any type of closed head injuries & managed care has been a disaster of fraud & abuse!
Check how many give narcotic not medical care.
“Never had a concussion” Nah man, he was just never diagnosed with one 😢
Truly very sad.