Albert Haynesworth: ‘I almost died’ of brain aneurysms
Former Titans and Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth says he nearly died of brain aneurysms in November 2014.
Haynesworth, speaking on Nashville’s 104.5 The Zone Thursday, detailed the events that led to an 11-day stay in intensive care.
“Nobody really knows, I almost died," Haynesworth said, according to ESPN. “I had two brain aneurysms that were nearly rupturing. I went and talked to my doctor in Florida, and he was like, 'Man, your blood pressure is through the roof. I'm going to admit you.' They did a lot of tests and found the aneurysm that was rupturing at that point.”
Haynesworth did not disclose how the condition was corrected.
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Haynesworth spent 10 seasons in the NFL, ending his career in 2011 with Tampa Bay. He was the 15th selection in the 2002 draft, by Tennesese.He added that there are many things he cannot remember, due to the head trauma, and emphasized he was not attempting to play things up given the number of ex-NFL players dealing with the effects of head injuries.
“It sounds crazy, but sometimes, writing my own name, I kind of forget the signature of how I normally write,” he said. “Or sending long texts, my words get backwards. It's crazy, but hopefully as time goes on, I get better.”
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Haynesworth said there was no definitive answer from doctors as to what caused his brain problems.
“They can't say. They said I could have had it, but they said football definitely didn't help. I don't really know. I have no idea. I'm not a doctor,” Haynesworth added. “I don't want to blame it on football, and I don't want to say, ‘Hey, it didn't have anything to do with it.’ ”
