Ced Thompson Jr. looks back on 15 years of football and opens up about possible long-term effects.
Former football player Ced Thompson Jr. has had a long career, playing from youth leagues through high school and college before reaching the NFL. Today, Thompson looks back critically on his time on the field, particularly the countless hits he took to the head.
Ced Thompson Jr. Remembers Numerous Big Hits
Thompson estimates that he took around 6,000 hits to the head during his roughly 15 years in football. In his video, he recalls several incidents that continue to concern him.
His first remembered concussion came in 2008 while playing in a youth football league founded by Snoop Dogg. After a collision, he says he was dazed but stayed in the game. Later, he missed a game-winning field goal that could have sent his team to the Super Bowl.
Thompson suffered another concussion in high school. After a hard hit to the head, he fell to the ground and initially struggled to understand where he was. He subsequently failed a concussion protocol test.
Another serious hit came in college in 2014. Thompson describes an uncontrollable physical reaction that felt almost like a seizure. Despite going through concussion protocol, he returned to the game and later made the game-winning interception.
The hits continued in the NFL, where Thompson says he kept playing after suffering a concussion during a Miami Dolphins scrimmage because he was fighting for a roster spot. He also recalls not reporting another concussion with the New England Patriots. An injury with the Cincinnati Bengals eventually ended his career.
What Did Football Do to His Brain?
A central part of Thompson's video is CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy). He discusses former NFL stars Dave Duerson and Junior Seau, who both died by suicide and were found to have CTE after their deaths.
At the same time, Thompson warns against automatically attributing unusual behavior by football players to CTE. He uses Antonio Brown as an example. Alongside potential brain injuries, factors such as personality, childhood, fame, money, stress, and identity can also play a role.
Thompson emphasizes that he does not know whether he has CTE himself, explaining that the condition cannot currently be definitively diagnosed in living people. As a result, he cannot know what impact his approximately 6,000 head hits may have had on his mood or behavior.
"Football gave me a lot," Thompson says, while acknowledging that the sport may also have taken something from him that he might never fully understand.
His message ultimately extends beyond football. Thompson encourages people to pay attention when friends or family members notice changes in their behavior, arguing that those who truly know someone may recognize changes that outsiders watching through a screen cannot.
What do you think about Ced Thompson's story? Let us know in the comments!
