Joe Henderson
Scot Brantley was one of my favorite football players to cover during my years as a sports writer.
That goes back to his days as a ferocious linebacker at Ocala Forest High School, and later with the Florida Gators and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
His trademark southern drawl came through when he co-hosted a sports talk show in Tampa after he finally quit football. He always has been as real as a person can be.
That’s why it is especially painful to hear that at age 60, the man I knew is likely headed down a road from which there presently is no return.
In an interview with HBO sports, his wife, Mary, said Scot has Alzheimer’s disease. That’s not even the worst of it though.
She says the National Football League has denied his claim for assistance from the settlement it reached after retired players began reporting abnormally high rates of brain-related diseases and other ailments.
A study showed that compared to the rest of the U.S., NFL players are three times more likely to die from neurodegenerative diseases and four times more likely to die from Alzheimer’s or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis — Lou Gehrig’s disease.
There is no telling how many concussions Brantley endured from high school through seven years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 1979, Brantley took a knee to the head and was knocked unconscious in Florida’s opening home game of the season.
He never played another down for the Gators.
He was advised to quit football then but received another medical diagnosis that convinced him and the NFL that he would be OK. The league and players weren’t knowledgeable about long-term effects from head injuries then, certainly not to the degree we see today.
Brantley kept on delivering his signature hard hits, and he said in interviews that he figured headaches and concussions were just part of the game.
You know what else should be part of the game?
How about some compassion.
Players like Scot Brantley helped make the NFL into the multibillion enterprise it is today. The league owes him and all those former players with similar problems compassion, care, and money.
I was part of a team at the Tampa Tribune and WFLA-NewsChannel 8 in 2010 that did a series we called “Broken Bucs.”
We sought to find as many players from the 1979 division championship team that we could to see how they were doing years later. It was the first time any media outlet had undertaken such a project on a single team.
One of my tasks was to find Jerry Eckwood, who was a standout running back on that team. I flew to Nashville, where he was staying in assisted living. He had been homeless for a while and was battling both physical pain and mental deterioration.
He could talk lucidly one minute, then go into a rambling, nonsensical paranoid delusion the next. He had suffered multiple concussions as a player.
Eckwood eventually did get some assistance from the NFL, but the game can never adequately replace what it took from players like him and Scot Brantley.
In reporting that series, we held several meetings with former Bucs at a North Tampa hotel. Many told similar stories of being turned down for injury claims.
“You know what they call it, right?” former quarterback John Reaves said. “Delay, deny and hope you die.”
Reaves died last year at age 67.
In a 2013 interview with the Tampa Bay Times, Brantley talked about his failing memory and admitted he had no idea how many concussions he might have suffered over the years. Who knows how that might have changed if he had heeded the advice to give up football while he was still with the Gators.
All I know is, a guy I like and respect is fighting the battle of his life, and I believe football is the reason why.
I enjoy watching football as much as anyone, but no game is worth the price too many are paying.
28 comments
Larry Moore
May 23, 2018 at 12:54 pm
I grew up In Gainesville, went into the USMC then went to U of F. Am the same age as JR. Lived in Tampa for 10 years and still am a big Bucs fan although been in Dallas for 15 years. Been following this concussion/NFL controversy for many years. Please keep me updated.
Thanks
Larry Moore
Peter A Indelicato MD
May 23, 2018 at 1:01 pm
I was the Gator team physician that advised him against playing anymore… after the NFL cleared him, newspapers dragged me over the coals …
Dan Plonk
May 23, 2018 at 2:26 pm
I played with Scot when I was a freshman in 1979. Florida field was dead quiet with him down in the GT game.
Both of my boys transitioned away from football to lacrosse in past five years. Given the recent medical intel on impact of hard hits on the brain, I was ok with that.
FB is on its way out. NCAA should take half of the scholarships from football and move them to men’s soccer, lacrosse and other existing sports. Transition this sport out over the next 10 years. Not much different than the effort against smoking.
One final thought, with apologies to Hank…
Mamas don’t let your babies grow up to be football players
Boyd Welsch
May 23, 2018 at 3:28 pm
Good advice is like good medicine. It only works if the patient takes it.
Mike Case
May 23, 2018 at 7:33 pm
Dr Pete thank you for all your time spent and great service to the Gators and the Dolphins and most any time you were spot on…..thanks all those years.
Buddy Martin
May 23, 2018 at 8:07 pm
Yes you were Pete and you will always be beloved fir your honesty and compassion. God bless you!//Great job Joe! Buddy Martin
Terri
May 23, 2018 at 8:13 pm
Wow, I remember you. I’m sorry you were given a hard time for telling the truth.
Richard Woodward
May 23, 2018 at 9:56 pm
I do hope the opportunity presents itself sooner rather than later for you to discuss the details of your diagnosis/ his condition and where the NFL’s docs went wrong.
Tami Rose
May 24, 2018 at 10:46 am
You did the right thing, and thank you for all you did for the players over the years.
Bill Carr
May 23, 2018 at 3:14 pm
So sorry to learn of Scott’s condition today. I was the Gator athletic director in 1979 and totally agreed with Dr. Indelicato’s decision to remove him from further collegiate competition due to his head injuries record. We were stunned when the NFL later cleared him to return to the field.
STEVE SQUIRES
May 23, 2018 at 3:27 pm
We played Ocala Forest in the play offs back in 1975 and Scot was playing for them then. He was a one man wrecking crew, he put three of our players out that night. I blew my knee out and couldn’t play that night, but I played right guard and linebacker also. Had I been playing that night he and I would have gotten know each other well. I hate to hear this about Scot he was a Great player and a stand up guy. I remember when he got dinged and didn’t get to play for a year and then they said it was dried blood around the brain from an old injury, guess they were wrong. My mother died from Alzheimer’s Disease and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. When we played in the mid 70’s we were taught to hit with our heads, put your head in the numbers when you tackle someone, stick’em son I can still hear my coaches. We had a running back by the name of Delmar Newton at Auburndale Senior High back then, he was 6′-1″ 235 lbs. and ran a 10 flat 100 yard dash and solid as a rock. I hit him in practice one day from 20 yards apart and thought I had broke my neck, my whole body went numb. So now I wake up everyday reaching for the aspirin and I have head aches everyday and night of my life. My memory isn’t that good anymore also, I pray to God that I don’t have the same problem. Just because I didn’t play pro or college ball doesn’t mean that I didn’t get my share of licks to. I wonder how many other guys out there that played back then when crack back blocks and spearing was part of the game has the same problems to. I will be praying for Scot and his family and that they will find a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease soon. They don’t make football players like Scot Brantley anymore ………
Dr. David B. Starkey
May 23, 2018 at 5:29 pm
I do not know Scott well; but I know how highly he is respected by all that know him. From what I remember about him I do not believe anyone could have kept him from trying to play ball if he got the opportunity to play. I’m not sure that even if he could have seen into the future when he got the opportunity to play pro to the age he is now that he would have made a different choice. That being said I would urge Scott to research any and all treatments that are available now and also research the past for treatments that have been suppressed by the powers that be.
Tedd Webb
May 23, 2018 at 5:31 pm
Played Colt League ball with John Reaves, a sweetheart of a guy
LynnMarie Boltze
May 23, 2018 at 7:26 pm
The NFL should support Scott Brantley this is an atrocity. They expect them to play hard and give everything and then the NFL is not there and their most dire need
Matt
May 23, 2018 at 9:01 pm
Just saw the Real Sports interview with Scott. He is a Gator, one of our own and he is hurting. Our hero’s are suffering and it is an awful feeling. Shame on the NFL.
John Lopez
May 23, 2018 at 11:03 pm
I was the Head Athletic with the old Baltimore Colts then and we would not pass him on our draft physical because of his head trauma. The sad part was I was with Tampa Bay before I went to Colts. He shopped for another opinion to clear him & he got it. More sadly is NFLPA has perpetrated this crime in more retired players denying them any relief. Even more criminal is the simple fact that NFLPA & NFL has never provided health insurance for retired players! Just plain CRIMINAL!
Gary Padgett, RPh, JD
May 24, 2018 at 12:35 am
God bless you for your stance about Scott’s injuries back then. The same goes for Dr Indelicato. Someone needs to stand up and identify these causes and to start helping these guys who need it so much. They gave so much to Florida and the Gators should step up, with the NFL, to do what is right. Thanks, Gary Padgett, Gators 70-73.
R Bledsoe
May 24, 2018 at 12:45 am
I was. A couple years behind Scot at Ocala Forest high school. My mother taught there and I knew him and his brother John as students at FHS.
We moved and I had to attend Lake Weir High School in my junior year. Myself and 2 other guys were the biggest on our team there and we were average compared to Scot. Was proud to be at FHS even when I was too small to make the team at 6 foot 1 and 230 pounds. Glory days at FHS, back to back state champs back then. I saw the broken helmets and bloody uniforms from practice. Balls out football back then.
Chad Brock
May 24, 2018 at 2:00 pm
Scot is and has always been my Football Hero and a great friend. I wanted to be that linebacker at Forest High School like Scot and did during my years. I know how he hit and have seen him have to go through all the surgeries and other problems over the years and thank God for his wife who is a wonderful woman. I pray the NFL does right. I will never let my son play the game I love because I do not want him to have the same injuries I have had and Scot has
Gordon Crews
May 24, 2018 at 4:14 pm
I played Babe Ruth baseball with Scot and his Brother John in the mid seventies. I am sad to hear about Scot. It is a time when he should be enjoying life, not struggeling through it.
Wendy Jackson LaPointe
May 24, 2018 at 5:09 pm
Such a travesty and shame on the NFL. I am married to a retired player and wonder how we can help to unite and rally for the support of Scot and others whose claims have been denied. https://www.forbes.com/sites/rogergroves/2017/07/03/federal-court-exposes-nfls-quiet-travesty-denial-of-retired-player-benefits/#3e82bf1c4ad1
Kat J. Crowell
May 24, 2018 at 11:34 pm
I am a FHS graduate, class of 1975. John and Karen Kennedy-Brantley are my classmates. I even had a class with Scot. I am sad to hear this. I had head trauma from a Car accident. I have problems with memory and had neck fusions because of that accident. I cannot imagine what Scot is dealing with. Ant trauma to the brain is not good. He dealt with repeat trauma to his head. I pray God’s blessings upon him.
I too have a son who was injured playing football. He should be paralyzed. Nothing but the grace of God kept him. His career was cut short in College, first year FAMU. He had a spinal injury that has never completely healed to this day. Now, he is fearless with his son playing football. My gson is 6’2″ tall, 16 years old but to small for me to see these big guys hit him. I beg him to not allow his son to play football. He is actually naturally great at basketball. I will let him read the article and the comments. I pray Scot will speak as long as he can to this generation about the hazards of football.
Moreover, I pray that God will soften the hearts of all the owners who have gotten rich off the sport of football. I pray that god will measure out his justice on them. What they do to the least of God’s children, they do as unto God. Brain trauma is no fun. It never completely recover even with determination and persistence, the short term memory never completely heals. Football should be banned in this country. Brain trauma is color blind. It all comes down to how much longer will players be used a s objects to make money. The animals get more compassion than football players. Although, DCF protects us from beating (chastising) our children; it is legal for them to be brutally hit time and time again in a violent sport which is 10 times more dangerous than a belt or a paddle to the butt. I pray for you John and your brother Scot that justice will prevail for home and all the others who are victims of Football trauma to the spine and the head.
I pray God’s blessings in Jesus name, Amen
robert c kerce
May 25, 2018 at 9:11 am
I graduated from Palatka Central High. One Friday in 1971, after football practice on an open date, 4 of us players hopped in the car of one of our tackles, Randy Comer. Randy had his “bell rung” in practice but he seemed to have recovered. We headed to Daytona, looking for a good time (which we never found). After driving the one-hour trip, Randy informed us that he did not remember driving us to Daytona. Nothing – just that we were at football practice and now we were in Daytona-an hour, lost. Needless to say, someone else drove us back home. We didn’t know anything about concussions then, but that was scary. Football will never be phased out. But I am convinced in the belief that tackle football should not start till high school and that strong policies be adopted then, including specialized tackling instructors and full-time concussion specialists on staff for all teams. To quote the saying from back in the day, “The mind is a terrible thing to waste.”
Joe Voor
May 26, 2018 at 8:48 am
I am saddened to hear Scot’s health issues are worsening. I heard he was dealing with mini-strokes and other problems, and am dis-heartened by this news. Dr. Pete, you were an excellent team doctor, and always put our welfare as highest priority. Thank you. Now your position has been validated. I also ignored a doctors recommendation to never play football again. But I continued to play to earn a football scholarship, and was lucky that my career at Florida did not cause more damage. Unless helmets are re-designed to reduce concussions, football will suffer a slow decline. Adding a layer of shock absorbing material on the exterior of the hard shell could be part of the answer. Prayers for Scot and his family. He was the best I ever saw, tough as nails and full of heart. A true Gator Great.
jean m. brown
May 26, 2018 at 9:15 am
Barry Brown (gator 61-65 Balt Colt, N.Y. Giants,Boston Patriots) also was diagnosed with dementia and Parkinsons 10 years ago. He is still with us but its a big price to pay for brain damage from football.
F. J. Jeff Aziz III
May 26, 2018 at 10:36 am
It’s an amazing game. It comes with risks. This is not news.
It is sad to read of Scot Brantley’s illness. But no more sad than the illnesses which befall people outside of the view of sports fans; the people who write a blank check for Uncle Sam or are repeatedly injured in their work and pay the price down the line, sometimes not very far down the line….
But at least Scot got to play at that level. There is a separate place in the pantheon of Manliness; the bravery, team work, Self sacrifice, etc., that few are willing to address today but must not be forgotten in a world where it is as vital today as it has ever been.
The Arenas where Football, Boxing and Hockey are especially noted provide more than a metaphor or proxy stage for the most important things mankind must provide for their fellows. The very best of us, playing or performing at the highest levels, is essential for all to see.
The bitterness directed at the NFL, and it’s highly subsidized Farm system in college Football, is probably healthy since there are so many kids who play the game in college who have NO chance of ever playing professionally and, if they graduate at all, are likely to have earned a degree with little chance of high marketability. And yet the money made is astonishing. Clearly there is amol;e money to provide far more for the athletes who are the source of this astounding stream of wealth.
All that said, the game of Football should come with a higher degree of disclosure at the outset. The end of the game would be a travesty.
F. J. Jeff Aziz III
May 26, 2018 at 10:38 am
*Ample
Scott Dickey
June 4, 2018 at 10:55 pm
I got to know Scot during his time working with SportsTalk radio out of Ocala. I spoke with Scot numerous times on the phone and in person. I even had the opportunity to share with him one of Mama Brantley’s famous chicken salad sandwiches! He met my wife for the first time and jokingly asked her if she was my daughter. She was so flattered! I showed him a plaque with the team photo and roster of the 1975 Forest state championship team that was given to me when I was a kid. His face lit up, grabbed it, and proceeded to show it to everyone in the room.
Then he signed it and gave it back to me.
That’s a great memory for me. Soon after, everytime I would talk to Scot, I could see him struggle more and more with his memory loss. He would joke about it because that is the kind of guy he is. I wish him, Ms Mary, and his daughters the best. I will attempt to reach out to them soon. The NFL needs to step up. Prayers go up for Mr Scot Brantley.
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