I Left My Wits in San Francisco
The Daily Probe - October 29, 1999
The context for this and other Daily Probe articles is provided here.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (DPI) - Injured 49er's quarterback Steve Young,
38, showed his fighting spirit today when he announced that he
would definitely return to the field this season despite a series
of concussions. "I'll be back... you'll see. Probably this month,
hut-hut... week... I mean," said the gridiron hero. He went on to
say, "Um... right. You'll see... I'll be back... hut." He then
weakly tossed a handful of aspirin tablets over his shoulder and
poured a glass of water down the front of his shirt. Young's team
of neurologists explained to reporters that none of Young's
injuries, taken individually, would be considered serious; however,
the cumulative effects of many such blows to the head have been
known to cause symptoms similar to Parkinson's disease. The
doctors showed a stop-motion video of Muhammad Ali's near
self-immolation at the 1996 Olympic torch-lighting ceremony as an
illustration of one possible result of taking too many shots to
the head in pursuit of sporting glory. Asked about the possibility
of permanent brain damage, Young grinned gamely and said, "Back...
soon. Blue 90... go long... hut... hut... hut-hut... I mean hut."
- Reported by Chris Jones
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