John Mackey passes away

When I first heard that former Baltimore Colts tight end John Mackey died, I was pretty bummed. He’s one of my favorite players in the history of the NFL, even if I wasn’t born when he played. The highlights and game film alone was enough to make us a fan. The second tight end inducted into the Hall of Fame, Mackey revolutionized the position, making it a weapon in the passing game and not just an extra blocker.

But, then I remembered that the 69-year old Mackey was suffering from Dementia. Issues like Dementia and Alzheimer’s can make for very sad endings. So on one hand, I’m happy for him that his battle is over.

Then I spoke to a source this morning who has known him throughout the years. He said he’s been battling Dementia for about 15 years and that it was really tough to be around him sometimes. According to my source, there were times where Mackey would be at appearances and just get up in his suit and tie and start running like he was on the football field. Yeah, this is the messed up stuff that the disease will do to a person.