Saints Hall of Fame linebacker Rickey Jackson is recovering after surgery Wednesday to relieve pressure on his brain.
Via Mike Triplett of ESPN.com, the 60-year-old Jackson had suffered a recent fall and a subdural hematoma, and the procedure was done to drain the blood from the area and reduce the pressure.
“He is resting comfortably, very alert and talking like himself with nurses, doctors and all around him,” his daughter Rickeyah told Ken Trahan of the New Orleans Saints’ Hall of Fame. “I want to stress that he is doing fine and that any reports otherwise simply are not accurate. . . .
“One thing led to another from the fall. He is not walking around yet, but he is doing well. We are told that in a few days, we should have him back home. They had to drain it and relieve the pressure. The doctors said it was a routine procedure to lighten it. Despite what others may say or think, it has nothing to do with football or nothing to do with his cancer.”
Jackson had prostate cancer surgery in 2015 but has been cancer-free since.
He spent 13 years with the Saints and was part of their “Dome Patrol” linebacker corps which included Sam Mills, Pat Swilling, and Vaughn Johnson. Jackson played his final two years with the 49ers and won a Super Bowl. He finished with 128.0 sacks, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
