Gene Atkins
Encyclopedia
Gene Reynard Atkins is a former American football
safety in the National Football League
who played for the New Orleans Saints
and Miami Dolphins
from 1987 to 1996. He is the father of Geno Atkins
, American football
defensive tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals
. He was featured on HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel
in a story about former football players who are suffering from head injuries
that happened during their playing time. In the story, it is revealed that Atkins is suffering from the early stages of dementia
, with the theory that his condition is due to brain injury
caused by concussions while playing football.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
safety in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
who played for the New Orleans Saints
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....
and Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
from 1987 to 1996. He is the father of Geno Atkins
Geno Atkins
Gene Renard "Geno" Atkins Jr. is an American football defensive tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Bengals in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia...
, American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
defensive tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
. He was featured on HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel is a monthly sports newsmagazine on HBO that debuted on April 2, 1995. The show was "spawned by the fact that sports have changed dramatically, that it's no longer just fun and games, and that what happens off the field, beyond the scores, is worthy of some serious...
in a story about former football players who are suffering from head injuries
Head injury
Head injury refers to trauma of the head. This may or may not include injury to the brain. However, the terms traumatic brain injury and head injury are often used interchangeably in medical literature....
that happened during their playing time. In the story, it is revealed that Atkins is suffering from the early stages of dementia
Dementia
Dementia is a serious loss of cognitive ability in a previously unimpaired person, beyond what might be expected from normal aging...
, with the theory that his condition is due to brain injury
Traumatic brain injury
Traumatic brain injury , also known as intracranial injury, occurs when an external force traumatically injures the brain. TBI can be classified based on severity, mechanism , or other features...
caused by concussions while playing football.