More attention is being paid to the long-term effects of playing football. A 2014 study determined that nearly 30 percent of former NFL players will end up developing Alzheimer’s disease or dementia across their lifetime, placing them at a significantly higher risk than the general population.
In September 2013, Sayers sued the NFL, claiming the league negligently handled his repeated head injuries during his career. The case was withdrawn after Sayers claimed it was filed without his permission, but he filed a new lawsuit in January 2014 along with six other former players.
His brother, Roger Sayers, tells the Star it’s “tough” to “build memories all your life, and the next thing you know you don’t remember anything.”