(Boston) – The Concussion Legacy Foundation (CLF) will honor former Chicago Bear, Northwestern University All-American, and NBC Chicago sportscaster Mike Adamle with the Courage Award at the Chicago Honors on Thursday, June 22 at the University Club of Chicago.
In February, Adamle and his wife Kim disclosed on NBC Chicago that Mike had been diagnosed with dementia. Adamle revealed that doctors had told him his dementia is likely caused by Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). CTE is a degenerative brain disease linked to brain trauma that has been diagnosed in 91 of 95 former NFL players studied at the VA-BU-CLF Brain Bank, a collaboration between CLF, Boston University, and the US Department of Veterans Affairs. The disease can only be diagnosed post-mortem.
“If it is [CTE], I’d like to be the poster person for the first guy they’ve found diagnosed with CTE and lived to tell about it,” Adamle told NBC Chicago. “There’s a lot of me’s out there. People don’t know it and they should.”
“Mike Adamle’s decision to share his fight against CTE and be a voice of hope for his peers makes him a deserving recipient of the Courage Award,” said Chris Nowinski, PhD, co-founder and CEO of the Concussion Legacy Foundation. “Many families are dealing with the same concern that changes in a loved one are caused by this potentially devastating disease. Mike’s message to not give up, but instead live your best life with CTE, is needed in a time when awareness is outpacing research funding that could provide answers.”
Adamle played six years as a running back in the NFL for the Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets and Chicago Bears. He was a fourth round pick out of Northwestern in 1971, where he was team captain and the Big 10 MVP in 1970. During his nearly 40-year distinguished broadcasting career, he has covered the NFL, USFL, and Summer Olympics, and announced WWE, American Gladiators, and many other sports and entertainment events.
Last year, more than 250 supporters and distinguished guests, including former Chicago Bear Gary Fencik and the Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan, attended the Chicago Honors and raised $150,000 to support the Concussion Legacy Foundation’s Team Up Speak Up program, which changes the culture by directing coaches to give a speech telling players that good teammates look out for each other and report concussions. Using the momentum of Chicago Honors as a kickoff, Team Up Speak Up recruited more than 150 organizations representing more than 3 million youth athletes in 2016.
Tickets are now on sale for the 2017 Chicago Honors, which will be hosted by CLF national board member Rob Johnson of CBS Chicago. To purchase tickets or for sponsorship information, click here or contact Alec Elbert at alecelbert@concussionfoundation.org.
