Charlie Garner OAKLAND, CA – JANUARY 19: Runningback Charlie Garner #25 of the Oakland Raiders rushes during the AFC Championship game against the Tennessee Titans at Network Associates Coliseum on January 19, 2003 in Oakland, California. The Raiders defeated the Titans 41-24, sending them on to the NFL title game for the first time since 1984. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

Tales of former NFL players battling injuries all over the body are, unfortunately, nothing new. Among the latest in a long list of former players expressing concerns about their post-playing health conditions is former running back Charlie Garner.

Garner, who played for the Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1994-2004, appears to be going through some tough times now. “I don’t have all my faculties anymore,” Garner, 45, said in a featured story published by The Sporting News. “I can’t remember things. When I go to the mall or grocery store, I have to take one of my kids with me to remember where the car is parked. I have trouble remembering conversations I had five minutes ago. Bright lights bother me. I just don’t feel right all the time.”

Garner believes he has CTE after going through a number of medical tests, but he says he has not experienced some of the effects that can develop as a result of the head trauma that likely occurred over the course of a playing career in the NFL.

“I haven’t had depression or anything like that,” Garner said. “But it scares the heck out of me. The doctors say it could get worse. One doctor told me that if Muhammad Ali was up here (Garner said raising one hand as high as possible) and the average person is here (holding his other hand near the table), I’m right about in the middle. That didn’t make me feel very good.”

We are learning more and more about CTE and the long-term effects it can have on athletes of all sports, most notably in football, and more and more players are taking the time to educate themselves about it. It is best to be as informed as possible, even if it gets scarier the more you learn and realize how your symptoms align with those who have experienced CTE. The NFL is taking steps to address CTE concerns, and to some it may be taking too long to do so. So for now, Garner’s story is the latest in a string of precautionary tales about the long-term effects football can have.

Garner was a second-round draft pick of the Eagles out of Tennessee in 1994. He spent five seasons in Philadelphia before moving on to play two seasons with the 49ers, where he earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2000. Garner then played three years in Oakland with the Raiders and wrapped up his professional career in 2004 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He ended his NFL career with 7,097 rushing yards, 39 touchdowns and 3,711 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns.

[The Sporting News]

About Kevin McGuire

Contributor to Athlon Sports and The Comeback. Previously contributed to NBCSports.com. Host of the Locked On Nittany Lions Podcast. FWAA member and Philadelphia-area resident.