Biography He was born on March 18, 1952, in Tomahawk, Wisconsin, USA, as Michael Lewis Webster. Jani began to handle the increasingly frequent crises, bailing Webster out of awkward jams. He was the Steelers' offensive captain for nine years. Privacy Policy. DISCLAIMER: Opinions expressed on this site are the result of research and analysis done by Advocacy for Fairness in Sports. But Harris thinks about the risks that Mikes son will face. ''I'm not destitute.'' TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. This memorial has been copied to your clipboard. Players with CTE have battled depression, memory loss, and in some cases dementia. He was 50. [citation needed], At the time of his death, Webster was addicted to prescription medication. Professional Football Player. or don't show this againI am good at figuring things out. I do actively seek out sons, daughters and family members of NFL players. This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates. He was my hero, says Jani, who owns a grocery store and sports-memorabilia shop. Gambling problem? Terms at draftkings.com/sportsbook. High school athletes who sustain a concussion are three times more likely to sustain a second concussion. After Mikes death, when the family was approached by Dr. Bennett Omalu to help with his research on CTE and athletes, it was the beginning of a new chapter for the Webster family as well. Site Map | It started with Mike Webster's brain. Webster's wife Pamela divorced him six months before his death in 2002 of a heart attack at age 50. Hed do it 10 or 20 times to relax., Webster was prescribed Ritalin to control his mood swings, but in 1999, shortly after his regular doctor moved away, the athlete was arrested for forging Ritalin prescriptions. Web Site Copyright 1995-2023 WGBH Educational Foundation. (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=f6da93d0-6850-44b9-a6b9-f62dcef33270&cid=877050e7-52c9-4c33-a20b-d8301a08f96d'; cnxps.cmd.push(function () { cnxps({ playerId: "f6da93d0-6850-44b9-a6b9-f62dcef33270" }).render("a62a84b67add450880a65f158730a944"); }); The years of being butted repeatedly on the head took a brutal toll. Webster is now happy to share that his familys relationship with the Steelers has improved, however, his opinion of the leagues handling of the concussion settlement hasnt similarly improved. Through interviews with former players, scientists and other experts on the concussion issue, it examines what the NFL knew about the risks of such injuries, and when it knew it. Jets: Everything you need to know, Ryan Clark thinks Steelers will make the playoffs, Steelers Injury Report: Markus Wheaton out for Week 6 vs. Brain injuries cause more deaths than any other sports injury. Mike Webster George Gojkovich/Getty Images Mike Webster was the center for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1970s, including the '75 Steelers team, but there was no coaching position, charity events, or broadcasting jobs in his future. There is a problem with your email/password. We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer) as we strive to provide site experiences for browsers that support new web standards and security practices. Cremated, Ashes given to family or friend, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8945061/mike-webster. One of the individuals who was instrumental in beginning the story was former Pittsburgh Steelers offensive lineman Mike Webster through his family. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. The COVID-19 Effect, When the Victim Becomes the Accused: The Kamrin Moore Story, Kelechi Osemeles Saga Reminds Us of NFLs Toxic Culture, Perspective: The NFL Doesnt Need Headhunters, CTE Risk More Than Doubles after Just Three Years of Playing Football, When CTE Steals Your Dad: Garrett Remembers Mike Webster, Two Stanford Alumni. Money quickly became a problem. My dad played 17 years and we did eventually win our pension suit. They eventually cost him his marriage. Permanent link to this article: https://advocacyforfairnessinsports.org/feature-stories/nfl/when-cte-steals-your-dad-garrett-remembers-mike-webster/. Some states may prohibit or restrict the solicitation of donations via the Internet or web sites. When he needed help, during the whole time when we were suing for that original pension, the NFLPA, the people who were supposed to represent the players, that guys like Dad paid into their pension to support, never reached out, never said, hey Mike, what can we do for you?, If anything the union was in the way of my dad getting his pensions, Webster added. Elected to football Hall of Fame in 1997, his. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option. Steelers begin meeting with defenders at the Combine. Just acknowledge it and say, how can we prevent this stuff from happening again? Omalu described Webster's brain as one of "boxers, very old people with Alzheimer's disease or someone who had suffered a severe head wound.". But Rooney refuses to believe Websters problems were more than psychological or that he was truly entitled to an NFL disability. Some of the guys will treat a concussion like a hangnail.. Football had taken a punishing toll on his body. You look at the center position as the foundation, says legendary running back Franco Harris. It was a psychological blow on top of all the physical and mental issues he was going through.. Find the obituary of Michael Allen Webster (1957 - 2023) from Knoxville, TN. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Mike Webster (8945061)? Webster grew up on a 640-acre potato farm near Harshaw, Wisconsin. Hed zap himself to calm his nerves. Nothing on this site should be perceived as legal advice. We have set your language to Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. He didnt watch the games, he didnt know the teams, and he certainly didnt know the name Mike Webster. Doctor's Catholic Faith Guided His Investigation of NFL Star's Death Dr. Bennet Omalu's determination to learn what caused Mike Webster's premature death has borne fruit, in the discovery. What Is Frontotemporal Dementia? It was too late to undo the harm, however, just as it was too late to dissuade his son Garrett from playing. He was responsible and did things the right way. Mike Webster works for the University of St Andrews. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. We talked and we talked frankly. Follow @NealCoolong My dad had things set up. And he had such a soft spot for children. The couple married shortly after the Steelers drafted him in the fifth round in 1974, and eventually had four children: Brooke, now 26, sons Colin and Garrett24 and 19and Hillary, 15. Share this memorial using social media sites or email. Pittsburgh Steeler center Mike Webster was the first NFL player Omalu autopsied. Drag images here or select from your computer for Mike Iron Mike Webster memorial. [21] Webster's son Garrett now serves as the administrator to the Brain Injury Research Institute in Pittsburgh, which is dedicated to encouraging individuals who have had head trauma to donate their brains after death as well as being an advocate to players who have similar conditions that his father had. That morning, on a stainless steel autopsy table inside the Allegheny County coroner's office in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, lay the body of Mike Webster, the legendary center of the Pittsburgh . draft until the fifth round, when he was selected by the Steelers. Witnessing most of Websters story was his son, Garrett. You couldnt help but take it as a slap in the face. The cause of death was a heart attack, the Pittsburgh Steelers said. My dad was just shocked because he did so much for these people. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. I saw changes that shouldnt be in a 50-year-old mans brains, and also changes that shouldnt be in a brain that looked normal.. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Mike was also on the sidelines at every game. Like in the Concussion movie, he had spent years battling depression, dementia, amnesia, and severe back pain. https://advocacyforfairnessinsports.org/feature-stories/nfl/when-cte-steals-your-dad-garrett-remembers-mike-webster/. [/pullquote]. Webster is also survived by two sons, Colin of Camp LeJeune, N.C., and Garrett; two daughters, Hillary and Brooke; two grandchildren; his father, William, of Harshaw, Wis.; two brothers, Reid and Joe Webster; and two sisters, Wendy and Jane Webster. He was a union rep for a long time. In a rare move, they demanded a retraction. Resend Activation Email. This is a carousel with slides. He died at age 50, possibly from brain injuries sustained from his work. Disclaimer | Drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1974, he played for 17 seasons, 15 with the Steelers. He stopped hanging out with the family as much. Learn more about merges. Everybody gets injured, but most injuries arent reported, says Miki Yaras-Davis, director of benefits at the NFL Players Association. He didn't watch the games, he didn't know the teams, and he certainly didn't know the name Mike Webster. You can find out when League of Denial airs on your local PBS station here. As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. He would say to me, Im not mad about what happened to me from playing football. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. '', During that same period, Dr. Fred Jay Krieg, a clinical psychologist, said Webster had ''the football version of punch drunk. When he went to Kansas City, thats when things started to change. I wasn't broke. They didnt. Covering the NFL concussion settlement litigation as it plays out, its easy to get caught up in the dockets and the numbers. Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. Too proud to ask his teammates for help, Webster was eventually befriended by a fan, Sunny Jani, who sought Mike out after reading about his troubles in the newspaper. Whats Next in the Face-Off Between Kaepernick and the NFL? In 1999, Webster was charged with forging 19 prescriptions to obtain Ritalin, a stimulant mainly used for children with attention deficit hyperactivity. Mike Webster, whose Hall of Fame pro football career was followed by more than a decade of physical and psychological turmoil apparently brought on by repeated blows to the head on the field, died yesterday in a Pittsburgh hospital. He was 50. I was just out of gas, tired and exhausted, and that's as far as I got that day.''. In private, the message seemed different. We went from one extreme of feeling just completely left out, ignored, denied, vilified to having that hope of being part of it. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. We were picked up in a limousine and all of us just thought that was the coolest thing. He got his bell rung all the time, just like the rest of us, says former teammate Rocky Bleier. I think my dad to a large extent was so hurt by leaving the Steelers. Michael L. Webster was born March 18, 1952, in Tomahawk, Wis., and was reared on a 640-acre potato farm. [dropcap]M[/dropcap]ike Webster grew up on a potato farm near Tomahawk, Wisconsin, where rooting for the Green Bay Packers was a religion. You know, if your dad is important enough to get a limo ride to the Steelers game in Pittsburgh, he must be the mayor or something like that., I remember Kansas city a little better and the change to a large extent of how dad acted, Webster continued. [14], In his last years Webster lived with his youngest son, Garrett, who though only a teenager at the time, moved from Wisconsin to Pittsburgh to care for his father. I got to sit down with Art Rooney. [15][16][17], Webster was cremated and his ashes were returned to his wife and their four children. Rather, a league doctor would tell him, the trouble was in the implications for football. We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer), Bear Grylls Reveals His 6 Keys to Staying Fit at Any Age. The football stadium at Rhinelander High School, his alma mater, is named Mike Webster Stadium in his honor. I had to be the dad sometimes., On a Friday night this past September, Webster went to his sons football game. He lost money in bad investments. Eventually, the judge did go back and let us basically appeal that, but it was like being stuck in limbo. An athlete who sustains concussion is 4-6 times more likely to sustain a second concussion. Please reset your password. Additional funding is provided by the Abrams Foundation; the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Park Foundation; the Heising-Simons Foundation; and the FRONTLINE Journalism Fund with major support from Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation, and additional support from Koo and Patricia Yuen. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. [2] Webster played during an era when protective equipment (especially helmets) was inferior, and head injuries were simply considered part of the game. 87% of professional boxers have sustained a brain injury. A man who, despite his anger at his own fate, was nonetheless trying at the end of his life to teach his beloved sport to a football-crazy son. In October 1999, Webster was awarded an NFL disability for traumatic brain injury. As Omalu recalls in the following clip from League of Denial: Inside the NFLs Concussion Crisis, suddenly the criticism was no longer about his research. A system error has occurred. My dad said to me many times, especially when things were really bad, hed say, I want to work. Grateful to be playing in the big time, Webster overcompensated for his size by becoming the hardest-working, play-with-pain member of the team. In its March 2003 issue, Reader's Digest wrote about Webster's shattered life. [11], Webster was proven to have been disabled before retiring from the NFL. Mike Webster died of a heart attack at age 50 on September 24, 2002, at a Pittsburgh hospital. Webster was a pivotal player on the standout Steeler teams that captured four Super Bowl championships in the 1970's. Sorry! PITTSBURGH -- Mike Webster's durability and toughness made him a four-time Super Bowl champion and one of the NFL's best linemen ever . Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person. The Steelers young guard hasnt been great, but he deserves another chance in 2023. boxers, very old people with Alzheimer's disease, Steelers vs. Mike Webster, whose Hall of Fame pro football career was followed by more than a decade of physical and psychological turmoil apparently brought on by repeated blows to the head on the field,. He was often reclusive. This psychological aspect of just being ignored was the hardest part and what we had to keep reliving. I couldnt leave him in that situation, Garrett recalls. This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. Hed cut off his sleeves in the freezing cold, zero degrees, to intimidate the other teams, Rooney says with a grin. It's a sobering look at the state of the league in wake of its $765 million settlement with over 4,000 former players who brought a class action suit against the NFL over these issues. A man whose disturbing end has left his former teammates with questions that will forever haunt them. I was born in 1984 and my sister Hillary was born in 1987, Garrett Webster said. And I don't want their pity. based on information from your browser. Using findings from the autopsy, Dr. Bennet Omalu studies the long-term effects of football collisions on Mike Webster's brain. Obviously there are times when things are in the news you cant avoid. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Our piece addressed the role Removing Old Blood Stains Mrsa Pictures On Face Staph versus MRSA Pictures: What's the difference? Everybody noticed that with Dad. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. Half-Time in the CBA A conversation with Ben Leber, Report Released By Cyrus Mehri Details Anti-Labor Stance Within NFLPA, Cyrus Mehris Candidacy Reveals New NFLPA Constitution and Fresh Vision for Players Union, How the NFLPA may have fumbled player safety. Its too tough. He was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs, who initially made him an offensive line coach before allowing him to return as the starting center. Michael Allen Webster. While at the University of Wisconsin on a football scholarship, he met his future wife, Pamela, who worked in the athletic department ticket office. Try again later. In the aftermath of the settlement, Webster found that the franchise his father gave his life to enrich, the Steelers, treated him with indifference if not contempt. A traumatic brain injury occurs every 15 seconds. Nicknamed "Iron Mike," Webster had struggled in his retirement from football. Up to 86% of athletes that suffer a concussion will experience Post-Traumatic Migraine or some other type of headache pain. Football injuries associated with the brain occur at the rate of one in every 5.5 games. I remember my dads last game at Pittsburgh. AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, (select parishes), MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY, CA-ONT only.Eligibility restrictions apply. But there are some who cant walk, who find it hard to do simple things. Since then we have had some positive instances, in the past couple of years, but overall its been the same thing, over and over again is that instead of people being like this is great, we know about this now so lets fix it, its been more of that asshole ruined things for everybody, you know, and thats, you know, that continues to be the hardest part.. Find out in the 2015 documentary Outbreak, newly available to stream on FRONTLINEs YouTube channel. 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You can donate securely and anonymously if desired with a major credit card by clicking here: Advocacy for Fairness in Sports is appreciative of recognition shown by these outstanding publications, TV and audio media. He played in 4 superbowls, All-pro 7 years, All AFC 5 times, and 9 pro-bowls. But play after play, year after year, Webster slammed into much bigger players, their helmets crashing into his like battering rams, their forearms pounding his head. ''There will be some mornings he can't get up from the couch because he feels so terrible.''. ). Mike Powell/Getty Images "Iron Mike" Webster helped the Steelers win four Super Bowls in the 70's. After leaving the game, he suffered depression and dementia, dying in 2002 at the age of 50. He invited me in. During that time, none of us thought he had this revolutionary condition that was going to change the world. Webster had several million dollars in assets when he retired, so it shocked Pamela when their Victorian house was foreclosed 18 months after he left football. Special Alert for Retired NFL-Proposed CBA 02/23/2020, Special Alert for Retired NF L- The Purge 02/14/2020, February 2020 General Interest Newsletter, February 2020 Retired NFL Players Newsletter, Our First Attorneys Only Newsletter February 2020, December 2019/January 2020 Retired NFL Players Newsletter, October 2019 Retired NFL Players Newsletter, September 2019 General Interest Newsletter, September 2019 Retired NFL Players Newsletter, August 2019 Retired NFL Players Newsletter, July 2019 Retired NFL Players Newsletter, Retired NFL Players Newsletter, June 2019, Minor League Baseball Minimum Wage Lawsut, Khaseem Greene v Elizabeth Police Department, NFL Deflects Blame to Teams for Painkiller Abuse in Painkiller Suit, Sharrif Floyd v. Dr. Andrews (medical malpractice), Avenatti Case Alleges Settlement Between Nike and Kaepernick, Conduct Detrimental Podcast Shines Light on NFL Disability Issues, NFL Owners Demand 17 Games Yet Sack Disability, The Blitz Special Edition-NFL/NFLPA CBA Development Tracker, A few more reasons Players should say no to the NFLs CBA, Deflategate lessons unlearned: Player discipline under new CBA largely unchanged. At 6-foot-1, 255 pounds, he was drafted in the fifth round of the 1974 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced. [19] Webster was the first former NFL player diagnosed with CTE. Over the years he picked up expenses for the financially beleaguered Webster and even paid for almost all of his $7,600 funeral. Webster's doctors said that the concussions Webster had in his career had indeed damaged his frontal lobe, causing cognitive dysfunction, and that his attention span and concentration had been affected. Are you sure that you want to delete this memorial? Bruce Willis Condition, Explained. // -->. Bad investment deals drained his assets and his rising anger and confusion, according to his wife, led to fits of rage. That stuff gets passed on through the grapevine. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. So Webster launched a single-minded coaching clinic. He would become the first football player. His wife Pamela stated years later that she felt that she caused Webster's change in personality in the years before his death and placed guilt on herself over her decision to divorce Webster, until discovering after his death about the CTE diagnosis. [3], Webster was born in Tomahawk, Wisconsin on March 18, 1952 as the second child of six children. He publishes a newsletter, "The Ninth Circle of Helling," that focuses on labor issues in North American sport. In his last year in Pittsburgh, Webster returned the favor by mentoring the then-rookie Dawson in the same manner Mansfield had mentored Webster earlier in his career. Of the 22 players who were part of all four Steeler Super Bowl teams, Webster was the last to leave and the first to die. Former Steeler Webster dies at age 50. If you take out the head injuries, Dad was ruled completely disabled from football, Webster explained. The latest mock draft from ESPNs Mel Kiper Jr. has the Steelers keeping it "all in the family". Why the Steelers shouldnt give up on Kevin Dotson. Webster was honored as an All-Pro seven times and played in the Pro Bowl nine times. [8] At the time of his retirement, he was the last active player in the NFL to have played on all four Super Bowl winning teams of the 1970s Steelers. One of the things that hurt him the most is we were pretty much ignored, not just by the NFL, by the Steelers too, Webster commented. Former colleagues soon began to hear disturbing stories about him, but no one knew what was wrong, and Webster was mystified and frustrated himself, embarrassed that he couldnt seem to hold a job or even remember scheduled meetings. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. Michael Lewis Webster (March 18, 1952 - September 24, 2002) was an American football player who played center in the National Football League from 1974 to 1990 with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs. This flower has been reported and will not be visible while under review. Advocacy for Fairness in Sports has no intention of violating the laws of any state and, therefore, does not intend to solicit funds in those states that prohibit or restrict such solicitations. Negotiation, NFL Players Forfeit Important Legal Rights in New CBA, Open Letter to NFLPA from Ivan F. Soto, Executive Director AFLPU, Real Sports Podcast Lays Bare How Washington Commanders Staff Terrorized Women On The Job, Russell Okung Continues to Fight the Good Fight, The 1985 Chicago Bears: A Legacy of Glory and of Pain, The Conversation Robert Kraft Should Be Having With Gronk, The Proposed NFL CBA is a 456-Page Legal Defense Strategy, Unpacking Roger Goodells Statement on the Death of George Floyd. FRONTLINE is a registered trademark of WGBH Educational Foundation. Webster attended Rhinelander High School, where he earned accolades in wrestling. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. We couldnt imagine us not being included. [citation needed]. One of the best silver linings in the course of the situation has been the community of families that either are enduring or have endured similar circumstances that the Websters are part of. In 1997, just before his Hall of Fame induction, his troubled life became public, and he told The Atlanta Journal and Constitution: ''Because of all this publicity over my situation, people treat me like I'm dying or something. With the Steelers winning Super Bowl IX, X, XIII, and XIV, Webster and Terry Bradshaw form one of the best-known centerquarterback pairs in history. Send Flowers. Webster played two seasons in Kansas City before announcing his retirement on March 11, 1991, after a 17-year career with a total of 245 games played at center.