I lived an amazing life following the football careers of my two sons, Geoffrey and Mitchell. For most of the time, I never spent much time thinking about their post career health above the neck. As far as I know, they did not suffer from concussions or other head-related injuries, and they are living productive post-football lives; they are not showing any signs of mental challenges. But now I know that maybe I should have worried about this when they were playing. I believe my family got lucky, which is not the case for many other players.
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, better known as CTE, is a serious national health issue according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization (WHO). It’s a real disease; progressive and strongly linked to repeated head trauma, like what one experiences while playing tackle football—sometimes beginning as a youth.
In 2025 I was introduced to the Concussion & CTE Foundation (www.concussionandcte.org). Since 2007, the Foundation has been deeply committed to researching and studying the causes of CTE, with the goal of it one day—hopefully sooner than later—being diagnosed in living persons (currently only diagnosable post-mortem), leading to prevention, treatment or even a cure.
After attending the Foundation’s first annual CTE Summit in February of 2026 and getting to know the Foundation’s CEO, I was honored to be asked to join their West Coast Advisory Board. I jumped at the opportunity.
There is still so much to be learned about CTE. It is my passion to actively support the Foundation and bring to light its achievements in pursuit of its goals. I welcome you to join me on this incredibly vital journey.