Recently, the Department of Veterans Affairs and Boston University released data that showed 87 of 91 deceased former NFL players had CTE (, the devastating brain disease. Forty percent of the players who tested positive were offensive or defensive linemen. The latter was the position played by longtime Steeler Brett Keisel.
Is Keisel worried about CTE?
At first, in an interview with Bleacher Report, he made a joke. "I was a bit slow to begin with," he said.
But I press him, and the joking stops. And then you can tell—and this is important—Keisel, who was one of the most professional, dedicated and, yes, violent players on the field, is having difficulty coming to terms with CTE.