Kathie Lee Gifford, 70, just gave a heartbreaking update on her late husband Frank Gifford‘s health before he passed away in 2015, and revealed the NFL legend turned broadcaster “was dying long before he died.”
The television personality, along with their son Cody, 33, spoke to People about their final moments with the six-time All-Pro ahead of the commercial release of the documentary Requiem for a Running Back, which explores the effects of the degenerative brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy (also known as CTE) that led to Frank’s death.
Frank Gifford, who spent his entire career with the New York Giants and is a member of the team’s Ring of Honor, is regarded as one of the best players in NFL history. The Monday Night Football anchor died of natural causes at his Connecticut home in 2015 at the age of 84, although his family previously said signs of the degenerative disease were discovered in his brain following his death.
Requiem for a Running Back tells the story of former football star Lewis Carpenter, who was found to have had an advanced form of CTE after his death, and also features Gifford. Kathie Lee and Cody say they hope that the documentary will increase awareness about CTE.
Kathie Lee Gifford And Son Cody Discuss Frank Gifford's Memory Loss
Gifford's son Cody recalled how memory loss was a huge symptom of the disease, and how it affected his father in the last stages of his life. He recalled one of the final nights he spent with his father, and said "in the span of one minute or two minutes, he had forgotten everything I had just said."
Cody went on to talk about the pros and cons of his father playing football, saying: "The NFL gave my father a life. But, at the same time, there were dangers."
Speaking of the dangers, the Boston University CTE Center describes CTE as "a progressive degenerative disease of the brain found in athletes (and others) with a history of repetitive brain trauma, including symptomatic concussions as well as asymptomatic non-concussive hits to the head."
Kathie Lee Gifford Says Looking At Her Late Husband's Brain Scan Was 'Heartbreaking'
Kathie Lee told People that seeing her late husband's brain scan was truly "heartbreaking to look at." She added: "We found damage to the hippocampus, which is the center for short-term memory. It's the cumulative aggregate blows that you take over a lifetime."
Cody, who was on the football team at the University of Southern California but tore his ankle as a junior and left after a "lackluster career," said he is now more aware than ever about the risks associated with the sport, but knows how hard it could be for someone to give up on.
"It's an intoxicating thing if you grow up loving football your entire life. I lived it and breathed it. It's hard to walk away," he confessed. Kathie Lee also told the pub that "nobody would care more about people and kids being hurt than Frank would have," in reference to the dangers of the sport.
