Former Packers cornerback Mike McCoy, who was diagnosed with dementia in his 50s, has died in the assisted living facility he called home for four years. He was 62.
Last year, McCoy and his wife spoke publicly about his cognitive problems. He said he still remembered his playing career but struggled with short-term memory.
“Sometimes I can’t remember what I had for breakfast or dinner, but I can remember Packers stuff from 40 years ago,” he told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel last year. “The brain is sure weird. I’m functional, but I can’t drive. I’ve had like three seizures over the last couple years and so I gave up my car. Janet wanted me to do it, to be safe at home, you know. It’s really hard to give up your car keys, your independence. But I thank the man upstairs, because I have great family around me and I’m very thankful for that. Some players kept it inside and committed suicide. You need your family and friends around you and you have to talk them. Janet helps me, but she also helps other NFL players and families who are going through this. It’s not easy.”
McCoy was the Packers’ third-round draft pick in 1976 and played for the Packers until 1983.