Irv Cross, who died at 81, was an NFL defensive back who became the first Black man to work full-time as a sports analyst on national television.
, showing the kind of damage that often causes cognitive and behavioral issues in those exposed to repetitive head trauma. He struggled physically with his balance and was paranoid.Cross said her husband, who was diagnosed with mild cognitive dementia in 2018, often sat in a chair and grimaced from headaches that weren’t going away. He declined any kind of medicine because it didn’t help the pain. He stopped going to church.
“I do think there’s more education about the risks of football and I do think there’s more awareness of concussion management but I still think we’re way, way behind where we should be,” McKee said. “We need to educate young athletes that this is a risk that they are undertaking. We need to educate coaches to keep head trauma out of the game. We need to do more managing of athletes by monitoring them better. I still think there’s a very cavalier attitude toward CTE. There’s a lot of denial.
One of 15 children from Hammond, Indiana, Cross starred in football and track and field at Northwestern. He was drafted in the seventh round by Philadelphia in 1961, was traded to the Los Angeles Rams in 1966 and returned to the Eagles in 1969 as a player-coach for his final season. Cross joined CBS in 1971, becoming the first Black network sports show anchor. He left the network in 1994, and later served as athletic director at Idaho State and Macalester College in Minnesota. In 2009, he received the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Pete Rozelle Radio-Television Award. He had been married to Liz for 34 years when he died.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Former Eagles star and NFL TV pioneer Irv Cross diagnosed with brain disease CTECross, a staple on the NFL Today on CBS in the 1970s and '80s, was the first Black person to work full-time as a sports analyst on national television.
Read more »
Former Utah quarterback Brian Johnson will be Philadelphia Eagles’ new OCBrian Johnson played quarterback at UUtah from 2004-08, leading the Utes to an undefeated season and a Sugar Bowl victory. Johnson will now replace Shane Steichen as offensive coordinator.
Read more »
Former NFL star, CBS anchor Irv Cross had brain disease CTECross, who was 81 when he died Feb. 28, 2021, suffered from stage 4 chronic traumatic encephalopathy, Boston University researchers said Tuesday.
Read more »
Former NFL star, CBS anchor Irv Cross had brain disease CTEIrv Cross, the former NFL defensive back who became the first Black man to work full-time as a sports analyst on national television, is the latest football player diagnosed with the brain disease CTE.
Read more »
Former NFL star, CBS anchor Irv Cross had brain disease CTECross, who was 81 when he died Feb. 28, 2021, suffered from stage 4 chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), Boston University researchers said Tuesday.
Read more »
Former NFL star, CBS anchor Irv Cross had brain disease CTEIrv Cross, the former NFL defensive back who became the first Black sports analyst on national TV, is the latest football player diagnosed with the brain disease CTE. He died at 81 in 2021.
Read more »