Ralph Richard Wenzel is a former professional 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...

 player who played guard

Guard (American football)

In American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....

 for seven seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...

 and San Diego Chargers

San Diego Chargers

The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...

.

Early onset of dementia

Wenzel's name has gained notoriety as of late 2009, when Wenzel's wife, Dr. Eleanor Perfetto, testified on Wenzel's dementia. Perfetto testified that Wenzel's football career probably had a causal effect with his dementia.

External links

• NYTimes article on dementia :
• Wives United by Husbands’ Post-N.F.L. Trauma
• Case Will Test N.F.L. Teams’ Liability in Dementia