Frank Wycheck Discusses Impact of Concussions on his Life

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by Terry McCormick
TitanInsider.com

Frank Wycheck is one of the most beloved figures in Tennessee Titans history, first as a player and key cog on the “Music City Miracle,” and later as a part of the team’s radio broadcasts as a color analyst.

Wycheck, a former Pro Bowl tight end for the Titans, also said that he suffered 25 concussions in his playing career, and dating back to his pee wee football days as a youngster, was involved in nearly 300,000 collisions.

“From I was 5 till the time I retired when I was 33, I added it up to 297,000 collisions. I was a linebacker and a running back (in my youth), so I’m hitting my head every single time,” Wycheck said in an interview with Nashville’s WZTV Fox 17.

The brains of many former football players have been tested for CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy, which is a disease that causes the brain to degenerate, most often from repeated blows to the head.

CTE cannot be confirmed by medical science until after a person is dead, but Wycheck, who also serves as part of 104.5 The Zone’s morning show, is certain that he has it. Wycheck missed a road game at San Diego and the Titans Radio broadcast this past season due to what he termed concussion symptoms.

“I’m sure, I’m sure the punishment I took, The concussions, the dings, for sure and all that stuff. You can’t test for CTE unless you’re dead,” Wycheck said.

Wycheck spoke about the types of symptoms he experiences nowadays after a career that took him through high school, college at the University of Maryland and 11 years in the NFL with the Washington Redskins and the Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans franchise.

“Migraine headaches, just being depressed, just not wanting to socialize, sensitivity to light. I go into a room and forget why I went there. You asked me and I’m just being honest,” Wycheck said.

Wycheck caught 505 passes in his career, good for 5,126 yards and 28 touchdowns.

Wycheck said that even though the NFL hid information about the damage that concussions could cause, that he still cherishes his football career.

“That’s the price you pay, and to be honest with you, I wouldn’t change a thing,” he said.

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