FOOTBALL – The former Scottish defender suffers from chronic traumatic encephalopathy. He suffered a series of concussions during his football career and paid a high price
It has long been glorified on the altar of values considered virile like combat and courage, but British football in its old form – until the end of the 1990s with a wet finger – left traces that Ian Alexander would have done without. During his career, the former Bristol defender (299 matches) had a series of concussions cerebral, an illness that was long believed to be reserved for boxers and rugby players. Once he almost died on the field. “I had swallowed my tongue and half my mouthguard, he tells Guardian. I was told I was twenty or thirty seconds from death. »
Relative luck for Alexander, who now suffers from chronic traumatic encephalopathy. At 61, doctors only give him “between two and six years” to live, the end of a post-sporting existence marked by memory lapses, each more frightening than the last. “The other day, [mon épouse] sent me for milk and bread and came back with a tank of gas! My phone is now like a shopping list. Every time I leave the house, I need a list to make sure I get home safe. »
