Ex-Dolphins Linebacker Nick Buoniconti to Donate His Brain to Concussion Research

Nick Buoniconti has difficulty completing basic tasks like using the bathroom and dressing himself.

Hall of Fame linebacker Nick Buoniconti, a key cog in the Dolphins’ vaunted defenses of the 1970’s, will donate his brain to Boston University’s CTE research team, he announced Friday. 

“I owe it to the thousands of others who will follow me on this trek,” Buoniconti told the New York Times. “My life is not what it was, and I just want to be able to help with Ann’s research and hopefully the research will end up helping so many other players.”

Buoniconti, 76, was the subject of a Sports Illustrated story in May by S.L. Price detailing the hardships of his day-to-day life. The man who worked as a high-profile sports agent and as the president of U.S. Tobacco has seen his cognitive health deteriorate rapidly. He is increasingly forgetful, has trouble speaking, loses his balance easily and has difficulty completing basic tasks like using the bathroom and dressing himself. 

“At 55 I was very normal,” Buoniconti told Price. “I’m not normal anymore.”