SHELBY, N.C. — Willie Green is one of the first 10 players selected by the Carolina Panthers.
The wide receiver is also one of 18,000 players eligible to get medical treatment for head trauma.
While the NFL has earmarked money to help those players, top league officials had not admitted the link between head trauma and concussions until Tuesday.
The statement came during a House committee meeting.
A speaker asked the NFL's senior vice president on health and safety if there was a link between studies showing elevated brain trauma among players and concussions. It was the first time an NFL official said there is a link.
NFL representative Jeff Miller began by referencing the work of Boston University neuropathologist Dr. Ann McKee, who has found CTE in the brains of 90 former pro football players.
"I think certainly based on Dr. McKee's research, there is a link because she found CTE in a number of retired football players,” Miller said.
Green, who played with the Panthers and won two Super Bowls with the Broncos, called the admission frosting on the cake.
"Him admitting that is sort of the final validation if you will,” Green said.
Green lives in Shelby, where he moved after nine years of pro football.
Some of the players he faced or befriended feel they are suffering from severe brain injuries or have been diagnosed with them after death.
Green has no symptoms, but he told his family he is likely to see the effects too.
“It's probably not a matter of if. It's a matter of when,” Green said.
Many players said the NFL didn't explain the threat to them while encouraging hard hits.
Green said the admission is something most players understood decades ago.
"We as players, we know there is a risk. It is what it is,” Green said.
He said he can't be angry about what may happen now. Green is concerned about getting the medical help negotiated during a settlement between the NFL and the players union. The league agreed to pay nearly $1 billion.
Green called two months ago to try to get an appointment.
“They said the earliest I could get was July,” he said.
Green said there are only a handful of doctors certified to test symptoms. He said it's not enough.
Green said he just wants to be prepared for whatever comes.
He said if had to do it all over again, he would play without hesitation. His sons have played college and high school football and he hopes they become pros.
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