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Wesley Walker says he is in constant pain, can’t sleep without medication and has suffered so much nerve damage and muscle loss that he needs help to remove the cap from a bottle of water.
Walker, 59, was one of the NFL’s most athletic players during his 13 years as a Jets wide receiver. But he said his health has been on a steady decline since he left the game in 1989.
“Now when I get out of a chair, it takes me so long to get my body moving that I feel like a 90-year-old man,” Walker said. “That’s me. That’s what I’m like every day.”
And he’s not alone.
Life after football can be a difficult and harsh reality for former NFL players, and many believe the league did not do enough to prepare them.
“NASA announced Grumman has won the lunar module. And of course Bethpage went berserk.”
A survey of 763 former pro football players conducted by Newsday in conjunction with the National Football League Players Association’s former players division showed:
61 percent of former players said they found it difficult to adjust to daily life after their NFL career.
85 percent said they did not believe the NFL adequately prepared them for the transition to life after football.
42 percent said injuries from their playing career have been the biggest challenge in their post-NFL life, while 41 percent cited career direction.
89 percent said despite the difficulties they said were caused by playing football, they would do it again.
Walker, a retired elementary school gym teacher in the Kings Park school district, said he has endured seemingly nonstop doctor visits, surgeries, various prescription drugs and other treatments. But he said he has found little relief from his constant pain.
In the last year alone, Walker had two surgeries he said he’d been putting off for years. One was on his left shoulder to fix a torn labrum and rotator cuff. And he had spinal fusion surgery during which doctors inserted 10 screws and a rod to help stabilize the spine, he said. Walker believes these injuries are the results of hits he took as a player.
Walker is among the approximately 5,000 former NFL players involved in a class-action lawsuit accusing the league of allegedly concealing the dangers of concussions. A federal judge has yet to rule on a revised settlement agreement reached last June.
A handful of former football players — most notably San Diego Chargers star linebacker Junior Seau — have committed suicide in recent years and were later found to have been suffering from a brain trauma disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), that is caused by repeated hits to the head.
Those are the cases that haunt retired players who say they are in pain.
“I think about Junior Seau and all the guys that committed suicide,” said Bruce Harper, 59, a Jets running back and kick returner from 1977 to 1984. “People have no idea how it feels to go through life with stuff that just won’t go away. It’s horrible.”
Walker admits he’s scared.
“What I’m dealing with right now,” Walker said, “is the unknown.”
Wesley Walker says he is in constant pain, can’t sleep without medication and has suffered so much nerve damage and muscle loss that he needs help to remove the cap from a bottle of water.
Walker, 59, was one of the NFL’s most athletic players during his 13 years as a Jets wide receiver. But he said his health has been on a steady decline since he left the game in 1989.
“Now when I get out of a chair, it takes me so long to get my body moving that I feel like a 90-year-old man,” Walker said. “That’s me. That’s what I’m like every day.”
And he’s not alone.
Life after football can be a difficult and harsh reality for former NFL players, and many believe the league did not do enough to prepare them.
A survey of 763 former pro football players conducted by Newsday in conjunction with the National Football League Players Association’s former players division showed:
61 percent of former players said they found it difficult to adjust to daily life after their NFL career.
85 percent said they did not believe the NFL adequately prepared them for the transition to life after football.
42 percent said injuries from their playing career have been the biggest challenge in their post-NFL life, while 41 percent cited career direction.
89 percent said despite the difficulties they said were caused by playing football, they would do it again.
Walker, a retired elementary school gym teacher in the Kings Park school district, said he has endured seemingly nonstop doctor visits, surgeries, various prescription drugs and other treatments. But he said he has found little relief from his constant pain.
In the last year alone, Walker had two surgeries he said he’d been putting off for years. One was on his left shoulder to fix a torn labrum and rotator cuff. And he had spinal fusion surgery during which doctors inserted 10 screws and a rod to help stabilize the spine, he said. Walker believes these injuries are the results of hits he took as a player.
He also had surgery last month to repair a torn left Achilles, which he said he suffered while taking an awkward step at an autograph signing.
Walker is among the approximately 5,000 former NFL players involved in a class-action lawsuit accusing the league of allegedly concealing the dangers of concussions. A federal judge has yet to rule on a revised settlement agreement reached last June.
A handful of former football players — most notably San Diego Chargers star linebacker Junior Seau — have committed suicide in recent years and were later found to have been suffering from a brain trauma disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), that is caused by repeated hits to the head.
Those are the cases that haunt retired players who say they are in pain.
“I think about Junior Seau and all the guys that committed suicide,” said Bruce Harper, 59, a Jets running back and kick returner from 1977 to 1984. “People have no idea how it feels to go through life with stuff that just won’t go away. It’s horrible.”
Walker admits he’s scared.
“What I’m dealing with right now,” Walker said, “is the unknown.”
Wesley Walker says he is in constant pain, can’t sleep without medication and has suffered so much nerve damage and muscle loss that he needs help to remove the cap from a bottle of water.
Walker, 59, was one of the NFL’s most athletic players during his 13 years as a Jets wide receiver. But he said his health has been on a steady decline since he left the game in 1989.
“Now when I get out of a chair, it takes me so long to get my body moving that I feel like a 90-year-old man,” Walker said. “That’s me. That’s what I’m like every day.”
And he’s not alone.
Life after football can be a difficult and harsh reality for former NFL players, and many believe the league did not do enough to prepare them.
A survey of 763 former pro football players conducted by Newsday in conjunction with the National Football League Players Association’s former players division showed:
61 percent of former players said they found it difficult to adjust to daily life after their NFL career.
85 percent said they did not believe the NFL adequately prepared them for the transition to life after football.
42 percent said injuries from their playing career have been the biggest challenge in their post-NFL life, while 41 percent cited career direction.
89 percent said despite the difficulties they said were caused by playing football, they would do it again.
Walker, a retired elementary school gym teacher in the Kings Park school district, said he has endured seemingly nonstop doctor visits, surgeries, various prescription drugs and other treatments. But he said he has found little relief from his constant pain.
In the last year alone, Walker had two surgeries he said he’d been putting off for years. One was on his left shoulder to fix a torn labrum and rotator cuff. And he had spinal fusion surgery during which doctors inserted 10 screws and a rod to help stabilize the spine, he said. Walker believes these injuries are the results of hits he took as a player.
He also had surgery last month to repair a torn left Achilles, which he said he suffered while taking an awkward step at an autograph signing.
Walker is among the approximately 5,000 former NFL players involved in a class-action lawsuit accusing the league of allegedly concealing the dangers of concussions. A federal judge has yet to rule on a revised settlement agreement reached last June.
A handful of former football players — most notably San Diego Chargers star linebacker Junior Seau — have committed suicide in recent years and were later found to have been suffering from a brain trauma disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), that is caused by repeated hits to the head.
Those are the cases that haunt retired players who say they are in pain.
“I think about Junior Seau and all the guys that committed suicide,” said Bruce Harper, 59, a Jets running back and kick returner from 1977 to 1984. “People have no idea how it feels to go through life with stuff that just won’t go away. It’s horrible.”
Walker admits he’s scared.
“What I’m dealing with right now,” Walker said, “is the unknown.”
Wesley Walker says he is in constant pain, can’t sleep without medication and has suffered so much nerve damage and muscle loss that he needs help to remove the cap from a bottle of water.
Walker, 59, was one of the NFL’s most athletic players during his 13 years as a Jets wide receiver. But he said his health has been on a steady decline since he left the game in 1989.
“Now when I get out of a chair, it takes me so long to get my body moving that I feel like a 90-year-old man,” Walker said. “That’s me. That’s what I’m like every day.”
And he’s not alone.
Life after football can be a difficult and harsh reality for former NFL players, and many believe the league did not do enough to prepare them.
A survey of 763 former pro football players conducted by Newsday in conjunction with the National Football League Players Association’s former players division showed:
61 percent of former players said they found it difficult to adjust to daily life after their NFL career.
85 percent said they did not believe the NFL adequately prepared them for the transition to life after football.
42 percent said injuries from their playing career have been the biggest challenge in their post-NFL life, while 41 percent cited career direction.
89 percent said despite the difficulties they said were caused by playing football, they would do it again.
Walker, a retired elementary school gym teacher in the Kings Park school district, said he has endured seemingly nonstop doctor visits, surgeries, various prescription drugs and other treatments. But he said he has found little relief from his constant pain.
In the last year alone, Walker had two surgeries he said he’d been putting off for years. One was on his left shoulder to fix a torn labrum and rotator cuff. And he had spinal fusion surgery during which doctors inserted 10 screws and a rod to help stabilize the spine, he said. Walker believes these injuries are the results of hits he took as a player.
Walker is among the approximately 5,000 former NFL players involved in a class-action lawsuit accusing the league of allegedly concealing the dangers of concussions. A federal judge has yet to rule on a revised settlement agreement reached last June.
A handful of former football players — most notably San Diego Chargers star linebacker Junior Seau — have committed suicide in recent years and were later found to have been suffering from a brain trauma disease, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), that is caused by repeated hits to the head.
Those are the cases that haunt retired players who say they are in pain.
“I think about Junior Seau and all the guys that committed suicide,” said Bruce Harper, 59, a Jets running back and kick returner from 1977 to 1984. “People have no idea how it feels to go through life with stuff that just won’t go away. It’s horrible.”
Walker admits he’s scared.
“What I’m dealing with right now,” Walker said, “is the unknown.”
Wesley Walker says he is in constant pain, can’t sleep without medication and has suffered so much nerve damage and muscle loss that he needs help to remove the cap from a bottle of water.
Walker, 59, was one of the NFL’s most athletic players during his 13 years as a Jets wide receiver. But he said his health has been on a steady decline since he left the game in 1989.
In the last year alone, Walker had two surgeries he said he’d been putting off for years. One was on his left shoulder to fix a torn labrum and rotator cuff. And he had spinal fusion surgery during which doctors inserted 10 screws and a rod to help stabilize the spine, he said. Walker believes these injuries are the results of hits he took as a player.
Wesley Walker says he is in constant pain, can’t sleep without medication and has suffered so much nerve damage and muscle loss that he needs help to remove the cap from a bottle of water.
Walker, 59, was one of the NFL’s most athletic players during his 13 years as a Jets wide receiver. But he said his health has been on a steady decline since he left the game in 1989.
In the last year alone, Walker had two surgeries he said he’d been putting off for years. One was on his left shoulder to fix a torn labrum and rotator cuff. And he had spinal fusion surgery during which doctors inserted 10 screws and a rod to help stabilize the spine, he said. Walker believes these injuries are the results of hits he took as a player.
Wesley Walker says he is in constant pain, can’t sleep without medication and has suffered so much nerve damage and muscle loss that he needs help to remove the cap from a bottle of water.
Walker, 59, was one of the NFL’s most athletic players during his 13 years as a Jets wide receiver. But he said his health has been on a steady decline since he left the game in 1989.
In the last year alone, Walker had two surgeries he said he’d been putting off for years. One was on his left shoulder to fix a torn labrum and rotator cuff. And he had spinal fusion surgery during which doctors inserted 10 screws and a rod to help stabilize the spine, he said. Walker believes these injuries are the results of hits he took as a player.