Tim Green, a first-round pick by the Atlanta Falcons in 1986, played during one of the franchise’s toughest periods, an eight-year stretch where the Falcons won only 45 games (six double-digit-loss seasons) and made just one playoff appearance.
After his career ended, the summa cum laude from Syracuse University went on to become a best-selling author and commentator for NFL football games on Fox.
Today, he is battling the effects of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease.
» More: Tim Green on his Falcons career
Green, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2016, said the disease is a symptom of his playing career.
“I used my head on every play, every play. Every snap. It was like throwing myself head first into a concrete wall,” Green said.
In 1996, Green appeared on an episode of CBS’s “60 Minutes” and spoke openly about how his time in football might cut his life short, perhaps by even 20 years.
“Guys would be willing to take 10 ... 20 years off the end of their lives to get out there on Sunday and play,” he said then.
He tells “60 Minutes” now that despite his condition, he has no regrets about playing a game he’s loved since he was 8-years-old.
“No ... it was as magical and wonderful as I dreamed it would be,” Green said.
Green's latest interview with "60 Minutes" airs Sunday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m.
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