Kelso, who
played in four consecutive
Super Bowls with the Buffalo
Bills, will talk about an
issue being widely discussed
today in the NFL, concussions.
Currently a commentator for
Buffalo Bills radio broadcasts,
he was known for wearing a
“pro cap” on his
helmet to reduce the risk
of concussions.
Hipple, a
quarterback for the Detroit
Lions for 10 years and former
NFL MVP, will discuss suicide.
Since his 15-year-old son
Jeff’s suicide, Hipple
has devoted his life to increasing
awareness and defeating the
stigma that is associated
with depressive illness.
Sylvia Mackey
is the wife Hall of Fame NFL
tight end John Mackey, who
was diagnosed with frontal
temporal dementia in 2001,
believed to have been caused
in part by his years in football.
Mackey’s plea to the
NFL for help led to the “88
plan,” which provides
up to $88,000 a year for nursing
care or day care for ex-players
with dementia or Alzheimer’s
disease, or $50,000 for home
care. The $88,000 and the
name of the plan is for Mackey’s
number, 88.
Jeanne Blake,
a medical journalist, author
and affiliated faculty member
at Harvard University, will
moderate the forum. Blake
is the president and founder
of Blake Works Inc. and Family
Health Productions. She also
serves as a member of the
Board of Trustees of McLean
Hospital, the largest psychiatric
facility of Harvard Medical
School.
Space is limited
to 200 participants. The first
50 registrants will receive
a complimentary DVD entitled
Depression: True Stories,
valued at $100 (one per family).
Register online at http://shli.msm.edu/NFL,
or by contacting Chassydi
Butts at 202.875.4803 or at
chassydi.butts@howard.edu.
