NFL News 2016: Former Player Thurman Thomas Claims To Have 'Mood Swings' Due To Football-Related Concussions
Buffalo Bills Hall-of-Fame running back Thurman Thomas came out as another victim of football-related concussion that have taken a toll on his long-term health.
In a report by the Washington Post, the 49-year old former NFL player revealed that he is unable to control his mood swings, which he believes was caused by the repetitive hits to the head while he was in his athletic prime.
"On so many days, I have to apologize to my family for them. I thank God that I have a family that understands the things that I've been through over my 13-year career, and even after my 14 or 15 years that I've been retired. They all understand that with my mood swings, sometimes I just can't help it."
In another report by CBS Sports, Thomas admitted to blacking out after suffering his first concussion as an NFL player. Along the way in his life, he also shared some instances of getting lost in a street that he commonly drives in.
"I had to make the most difficult call I've ever made," he said. "I had to pull over on the highway, call my wife, and explain to her the events that just happened."
The NFL has been under fire since March, when the New York Times released an article about how the league supposedly employs a "flawed" concussion research, even comparing it to how tobacco companies downplayed the ill effects of cigarette smoking.
Last week, a federal judge granted a settlement amounting to $10 million to more than 5,000 former players, who all claimed to have experienced concussion-related ailments related to their respective stints as professional American football players.
As for Thomas, while he was at first rightfully apprehensive with publicly talking about his condition, he says he only did so for him to be able to gather more information about it.
"I don't really discuss it with my friends. It's something that I'm really not comfortable talking about because I want to get more facts about it, I want to get more knowledgeable about it."