Former Ohio State Running Back Beanie Wells Says He Has Symptoms of 'Traumatic Brain Injury'
On The Tim and Beanie Show on 97.1 The Fan in Columbus on Monday, former Ohio State running back Chris "Beanie" Wells revealed he has been suffering from the symptoms of a "traumatic brain injury."
Wells, who started working for the station talking about the Buckeyes a few years after he retired from the NFL, had been absent from the show in recent weeks. Monday, he returned to the show and explained that it was his health that had been keeping him off the airwaves.
"At this present moment, I’m OK," Wells explained on air. "I did have some health issues going on. I went for an MRI scan of my head and saw some things on there that didn’t quite look right. I had some symptoms that led to me going in for that scan."
He went into further detail, explaining that the brain has plaque on it, and he is suffering from plaque separation, which is linked to "some sort of traumatic brain injury" that Wells speculates came from playing football.
Wells, 29, said he was experiencing headaches, "forgetting the littlest things" and also suffering from issues with his speech. He said he normally stumbles over words and talks with quick pace, but over the past six or seven months he was having problems picking out his words and was pausing longer than normal in conversation, and he found it "alarming."
He added that he is "not out of the woods yet" and he is "hopeful" that his condition will continue to improve. You can listen to Wells's entire explanation of his situation here.
In three seasons with Ohio State, Wells rushed for 3,382 yards and 30 touchdowns. He went on to be taken No. 31 by the Cardinals in the 2009 NFL draft. He rushed for 2,471 yards and 24 touchdowns in four seasons with Arizona, but had to retire after 2012 due to injuries.
