BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
If there is anybody that knows about the damaging effect about head injuries, it’s myself.
During the past three years, I’ve had four concussions.
I wouldn’t even begin to count how many more that I’ve had throughout the years.
I sustained my latest concussion during Easter Weekend and was in the hospital for four days.
Unfortunately, my diagnosis has led to Alzheimer’s Disease. It’s a condition that I know that I will succumb to in the next few years.
I’m currently taking a lot of medication prescribed by my doctors and staying active by writing, covering sporting events, doing podcasts and plan to write a pair of books in the next 12 months.
My doctors are telling me the more activity the better and they don’t even mind me drinking a lot of caffeine to keep me stimulated.
In fact, I schedule my appointments on late Friday afternoons, and one of the nurses subscribed to my You Tube Channel loves when I come in.
I’m so wired with caffeine that I really make her laugh by firing one-liners faster than Indy Cars race around a track.
She laughs real hard especially when she has patients that are down in the dumps which makes her feel sad. When I’m there it’s a much higher octane energy level!
She uses my shows at home when she needs a good laugh to keep her upbeat.
It’s safe to say that my sleep pattern is totally unpredictable.
When I went to the Super Bowl in New Orleans, I attended a couple of interesting events.
First, I went to the NFLPA Press Conference and one of the topics the players discussed was whether they would approve of an 18-game season which would reduce the pre-season down to two contests. During this meeting, the players were totally against it due to safety concerns.
After the meeting, I did an interview with Chicago Bears backup QB Case Keenum and we talked about that very subject and helmets. Our interview is in this story, in addition to the NFLPA meeting. Check them out. I know you will learn something from them.
The next event I attended was the day before the Super Bowl.
It was Super Agent Leigh Steinberg’s annual party.
It was interesting to see the different vendors and I met a doctor who talked about a jaw protection product called Neurogard +. I actually did an interview with him as well. This is also included in the story.
Player safety has been a concern for years and there was a recent settlement that was handed out to players due to their head injuries and other ailments. These injuries have led to ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), CTE, Parkinson’s Disease, and Dementia among others.
But the reality of the situation is the players can balk at the 18-game season all they want.
It will eventually get negotiated into the new collective bargaining agreement.
What will end up happening is there will be an extra bye week, increased roster sizes and the owners will increase their revenue streams. The extra game will end up being an international contest which we know the NFL is working diligently to market the game globally. We all know with extra games, there will be more practice time which also adds hits. The players will make more money per-year.
During the press conference it was very interesting to hear the different viewpoints on these head injuries including one from Washington Commanders running back Austin Ekeler. If there is anyone prone to get hit high, it’s running backs.
During the Miami Hurricanes Spring Practice, I noticed the team wearing Guardian Caps. I wasted no time asking Hurricanes Coach Mario Cristobal whether we would see the team wearing Guardian Caps in the Fall. That interview is also included in the story.
This is a subject that will continually be analyzed on all levels from youth, college, professional football as well as all the medical people analyzing the data.
Dealing with Brain Trauma first hand gives me first hand experience as to what these players are facing from migraines to short term memory and maintaining balance when walking with the fear of falling.
My toughest challenges about head injuries stem from lack of stability in my body, short term memory loss and now I tend to make simple mistakes on the road such as forgetting my location or even missing exits on the highways.
I struggle going to places with lots of noise and it’s increasingly difficult to be around loud children which sets off my migraine headaches.
I’ve driven over four million miles in my lifetime and I enjoy being on the road to meditate by listening to music.
Now I spend 24 hours at home working remotely from my computer unless I go out for a quick networking meeting or a restaurant, sporting event with my wife.
In early August, I leased a Honda Odyssey and have 50,000 miles included in my package, and on Memorial Day, I finally surpassed the 1,000 mile mark.
I struggle dealing with this all of the time. I can’t drive more than 15 minutes without my wife and these days, she drives the majority of the time.
This is the part that’s killing me inside!
Now I have to find other ways to meditate and miss those drives on the ocean looking at the Atlantic Ocean and beaches. Being a resident in Florida, there are tons of beaches on the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.
My recent concussion led to a broken left thumb and being in the protocol took me off the road for six weeks.
One of my closest friends is named Jennifer Lee-Cobb.
She is a former St. Louis Rams Cheerleader and Jennifer has been on my podcast a few times. She’s dealt with head injuries living through it with family members. She’s currently leading the fight against Parkinson’s Disease.
Legendary fighter Muhammad Ali died of this disease. One of my colleagues former UCLA Broadcaster Chris Roberts recently passed away.
Actor Michael J. Fox, former Hockey Coach Barry Melrose are also dealing with Parkinson’s Syndrome.
Former Bears Hall of Famer Steve McMichael recently lost his battler with ALS. The only thing we can be thankful for is he was inducted into the HOF in 2024.
Jennifer and I are very close and although we haven’t met in person yet, she keeps tabs on all of my activity especially content I produce. She’ll appear in the chat room from time to time and she’s also in my book, “Lessons From The Microphone” because of what she does and how we connected. I’m very confident that we will meet down the road.
I know you’ll enjoy her story that’s included in this article.
Head injuries are about education through all kinds of sources.
I’m hoping to talk to more players, coaches and medical professionals in the future as I aim to educate others while going through my own battles.
In the end, the next time you watch any heavy contact sport such as Football, Hockey, Boxing, MMA, Wrestling and Bareknuckle Fighting, we have to be conscious of the head gear as well as the impact of the contact for which the blows the head is subjected to.
But no matter what we find out, we must understand that while head injuries are common in sports, anyone can be subjected to them. When they’re subjected to them, the focus then gets placed on the caregivers. It’s a domino effect.
As I get ready to embark on my first trip overseas which will take my wife and I to London, Belgium, Netherlands, Norway and Iceland, I’ve prioritized my bucket list now so when the time comes and I need more advanced care, I’ll appreciate the things I want to do while I can enjoy them. All of these places will be on a cruise ship.
If my health holds up, the target is to hit Paris, France., Barcelona, Spain., Rome, Switzerland, Portugal and if I’m ambitious, my wife and I will get to Germany. Realistically, I’m not holding my breath on Germany. But if we do this land trip, another book will follow.
The amazing part about my diagnosis is my doctor that told me about this didn’t think I would be able to write another book sighting the early short term memory loss.
My wife looked at her as we walked out the door and told this female physician let me give you some sound advice, “Don’t put anything past my husband. I’ve seen him do some unbelievable things especially when his back is to the wall as he feeds off of pressure. Bad move because he thrives on proving people wrong!”
So here we have it. I’ve had a chance to give you a glimpse of my story and talk about sports. The videos inside this article will speak volumes since they come from a wide range of sources!
Scott Morganroth can be reached at southfloridatribune@gmail.com and you can follow him on Twitter/X @TribuneSouth. Also, there is no charge to subscribe to the South Florida Tribune You Tube Channel to see his broadcasts.
Also, he has a book called “Lessons From The Microphone” which can be purchased at Amazon/Kindle, Barnes & Noble. We’re working on getting the Audio Book.
This book is great for individuals that want to learn about the Media and talks about Old School Media Vs New School Media. Students use it as a handbook to learn about the business.
