Hall of Fame RB Tony Dorsett talks about “concussion syndrome”

Hall of Fame running back Tony Dorsett is one of the former players suing the NFL over concussion-related issues. (Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images)

Hall of Fame running back Tony Dorsett is one of the more than 1,000 former NFL players suing the league over concussion-related issues, and the 58-year-old former Dallas Cowboys star opened up to the Beaver County (Pa.) Times‘ Mike Bires about what he calls his “concussion syndrome.”

“For the most part, I feel OK,” he told Bires before hosting the 20th annual Tony Dorsett/McGuire Memorial Celebrity Golf Classic on Monday. “There are some good days and there are some bad days. So I am being proactive instead of inactive.”

Dorsett told Bires he has some short-term memory loss. He believes he suffered at least five concussions in his 12-year career and worries about how the long-term effects will impact his life with his four children, including two daughters who are only 13 and eight years old.

“I can slow the process down … there’s optimism about that,” he said. “I feel if I can slow it down, I can stop it. I’m not waiting to see if I’ll be nonfunctional.”

“I have young daughters, and there’s a chance I might not be functional when my daughters have kids and I’ll be a grandfather,” Dorsett continued.

“Would I have risked my health years ago and gone back on the football field after a concussion if I knew there would be percussions in the future? Hell no!”