Back in the 1960s, head injuries weren't taken as seriously as they are today. One player involved in a lot of hits back in the day was former Eagles Pro Bowler Irv Cross. Cross spent a total of six years with the Eagles in two different stints with the team, and was a key part of a solid Eagles defense.
After his playing career, he joined CBS and became the first African-American to work full-time as a sports analyst on national television. He has stayed out of the spot light over the past few years, but has kept him self busy. However, this week he announced to the public that he has been diagnosed with mild cognitive dementia.
Once Cross eventually passes away, his brain will be sent to Northeastern University to see if he had CTE that might have caused the mild cognitive dementia. Cross said in a interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer that “CTE has affected a lot of players from my generation. We didn’t think about things like safety.”
