Retired running back Stephen Davis had more than 2,100 officials "touches" from scrimmage, gained 9,546 yards and scored 69 touchdowns in an 11-year career with the Washington Redskins, Carolina Panthers and St. Louis Rams.
Considering his current stance on concussions, the 38-year-old Davis might have stepped out of bounds a few more times.
The three-time Pro Bowl player joined four unidentified ex-players in a lawsuit against the NFL for concealing the long-term effects of concussions, Nathan Fenno of The Washington Times reported Wednesday.
Davis, who was inducted into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in May, has experienced lapses in his short-term memory, forgets time spent with his children and will sometimes record conversations to recall certain details, Fenno reported.
"Looking at the results, and they're not that good," Davis said of a visit with a neurologist. "I need to get special treatment, further treatment to try and get it taken care of ... A lot of things scare me a whole lot, and it bothers me because there isn't no telling what day I'll forget everything."
Earlier this week, New York Giants co-owner John Mara acknowledged that the league had not done enough to help ex-players. However, he insisted that the league hadn't withheld information pertaining to concussions.
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Davis, who last played in the NFL in 2006, likes the steps the league is taking, but does not want former players to be forgotten.
"I just want to be fair," Davis said. "Football is a contact sport. We all know that. It has its consequences. But the thing is that we were put in situations where if you're not on the field, you won't make this team.
Davis said he would not keep his son from playing the game.
"I will tell him the cons and pros of it. Everything he sees," Davis said. "I sit him down every day and say, 'These are the things that can possibly happen to you.' "
