Mike Adamle Suffering From CTE Related Dementia
The former Raw General Manager is in a bad way.
Former WWE commentator and Raw General Manager Mike Adamle revealed some saddening news yesterday.
Speaking to NBC, Adamle stated that he has been suffering from the effects of dementia, likely caused by Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy incurred during his athletic days.
Adamle played NFL football for six seasons in the 1970s, serving as a running back for the New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs, and Chicago Bears. CTE has risen in prominence among mainstream sports outlets in recent years, and the degenerative brain disease's effects have become increasingly apparent among retired athletes.
Adamle had the following to say of of his symptoms in the NBC report;
"I've been on short-term disability and then long-term disability. I've had seizures and epilepsy for the last 19 years. Here's what happens. You come over and you can do an interview with me and you'll leave and I'll say, 'Oh God who is that?' Watching a movie last night -- this happened last night -- five seconds into it, I'll say 'What are we watching?'"
Adamle entered WWE with a wealth of announcing experience from his time with NBC Sports and American Gladiators, but struggled to adapt to life as a professional wrestling broadcaster. He departed in October 2008, just nine months after joining the company, and had been working as a sports anchor in Chicago in recent years.
His condition forced Adamle to leave his position last March, but he has kept his struggles quiet up until now. The report states that as well as the above, Mike regularly suffers from mood swings, depression, and anxiety, but he remains relatively upbeat:-
"I would do it all again. I would tell you what, though, I would work harder in the offseason find out about things that protect you when you play."
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