• 10
  • May
    2011

The life of a professional athlete looks pretty nice. They get to play sports for a living, get paid well, travel and people know their names and faces. It can be a glamorous life, but it can also be a dangerous one.

More and more people are beginning to recognize the dangers of professional football and other sports injuries. More specifically, the public and NFL organization are taking a much-needed look at sports-related brain injuries and the long-term impact of repeated head trauma. A former Alabama NFL star is part of raising that awareness.

Former Alabama running back Kevin Turner retired from playing professional football after he sustained a severe neck injury. About a year ago, he was diagnosed with a life-changing nerve disorder called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The once star athlete now struggles with doing simple things with his hands as a result of the disorder.

Turner, 41, might not have football anymore, but he insists that what he's doing now is the most important thing he could do with his life. He is using his story and experience with medical professionals as a basis to move forward the conversation about the head injury risks of high-contact sports, such as football.

And Turner isn't just trying to raise brain injury awareness among professional sporting organizations. He himself admits that he worries about his own young son's health in relation to sports. A young brain is vulnerable, and long-term effects of brain trauma can start early on.

To further his message, Turner works with The Kevin Turner Foundation. The foundation's goal is to raise awareness about the dangers of sports-related brain trauma like ALS. Of course, the foundation also seeks funding that would support research into ALS prevention and treatment.

Source

Montgomery Advertiser: "Former NFL star battles ALS to warn of head injury risks," Tim Gayle, 6 May 2011