Bills legend Thurman Thomas struggling with effects of concussions
Former Buffalo Bills running back Thurman Thomas is still feeling the effects of the concussions he suffered during his 13-year Hall of Fame career.
Thomas addressed his experience for the first time publicly at a Canadian concussion summit on Friday.
"Still to this day, I can't control my mood swings," Thomas said, according to Ray Spiteri of The Niagara Falls Review. "On so many days, I have to apologize to my family for them. I thank God that I have a family that understands the things that I've been through over my 13-year (professional) career, and even after my 14 or 15 years that I've been retired. They all understand that with my mood swings, sometimes I just can't help it."
With evidence of concussions' startling effects on athletes mounting, Thomas said he no longer felt comfortable staying quiet about his experience.
"One thing that I realized is that discussing the effects of concussions and the reality of the situation doesn't make me less of a man, less tough, less loyal to the National Football League, a less love for the game," he said. "All it means is that I'm not an ignorant fool, and that I don't ignore factual evidence that this is happening to not only football players, but (other athletes)."
Echoing the sentiments of several retired players, Thomas shared a story about the scary effects his brain injuries have had on his life, saying he once forgot where he was while driving a route he took every day.
"I didn't know where I was, and I didn't know what I was doing," he said. "I had to make the most difficult call I've ever made. I had to pull over on the highway, call my wife and explain to her the events that just happened. She said, 'You need to come back home.' I knew that there was a problem."
Thomas said his condition is worsening, and after an MRI, a doctor compared the frontal lobe of Thomas' brain to that of someone who'd gone through a car windshield several times.
The 49-year-old said head-injury protocol at all levels of football needs to give doctors, not players, the ultimate power to make decisions.
"The player will always choose ... to stay in the game," he said. "I cannot emphasize this enough. It has to be the team physician, it has to be the doctors. It has to be their decision."
- With h/t to ESPN