Mike Adamle, 68, has spoken out about his battle with CTE, saying he can ‘feel the decline every day’
Former NFL running back Mike Adamle has spoken out about his battle with degenerative brain condition CTE.
The 68-year-old, who has since worked as a football announcer and WWE interviewer, said he can ‘feel the decline every day’ as the disease slowly robs him of brain function.
Alongside wife Kim he is now in the process of starting up a national support network for other sufferers and those at risk of the illness.
Speaking about her husband’s struggles, Kim told the Chicago Tribune about an incident last year that exemplified Mike’s decline.
Mike is easily able to function if he sticks to a routine, she said, but quickly comes unstuck if that is disturbed.
She said he was returning from the gym in downtown Chicago to his home – on the train because he can no longer drive – when he realized he’d lost his transit card.
He called Kim but was unable to describe where he was, could not order an Uber because his app wasn’t working, then told her his phone battery was about to die.
The call then cut out, and KIm was forced to call the sports desk at NBC, where he previously worked, and have them help track him down.
Adalme played as a running back in the NFL for six years, including spells with the Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets, and Chicago Bears (pictured here, in 1976)
He was eventually traced to the lobby, where he was speaking to a security guard, and sent home – but the incident left Kim rattled.
‘The hard side is, because it is progressive, it’s like being on shifting sand. You never adjust to it,’ she said.
‘You think you have it, you understand what to do and how to handle it, and then, like Mike says, there’s more slippage.
‘Every day you see a bit of that. We can only slow that down at this point.’
A scan showing raised levels of proteins in the brain of a patient believed to be suffering with CTE
Because diagnosing CTE requires medics to physically dissect the brain, it is not possible to confirm whether a living person has it.
But Adamle’s doctor says memory loss, mood changes, behavioral changes and loss of judgement he has experienced are all consistent with the condition.
The former athlete is losing about 1 per cent of his functional brain mass every year, neurologist Michael Smith said, adding that the decline is ‘pretty dramatic.’
For now, Adamle is focused on picking up new hobbies which medics say will keep his brain sharp – the latest being ballroom dancing.
He has also partnered with Boston University’s CTE Center and the Concussion Legacy Foundation to create a national support network for suspected CTE victims and their families.
It is called the Mike Adamle Project: Rise Above, set to launch in late January, and will be hosted on the Concussion Legacy Foundation website.
Adamle (pictured as an announcer on American Gladiators) says he is suffering behavioral changes, memory loss, mood swings and lapses in judgement because of CTE