Episode 10: Bruce Murray
More places to listen:
If you have children that play youth soccer, I hope you will give a listen to Bruce Murray.
He has a brain condition called CTE. In his 30’s he began forgetting things, he developed a sensitivity to light and began to develop a problem with impulse control. It really scared him - he went through dark times and ended up in some dark places.
He and his doctors have no doubt that this is related to the repeated heading of the ball while his brain was still in development as a boy and young man. He has a foundation to help other athletes that suffer from this – and actively campaigns for rules of the game to be amended – especially at the youth levels and notes that ‘no developing brain should collide with a soccer ball at some 40 mph.
He is happy and doing well now though – and this campaign is what Bruce cares about most now, but he also had a fascinating career as a player. He was part of that crew of American National Team guys that played for a county that didn’t care too much about what they were doing.
And he was a huge part of that 1990 World Cup Team that qualified for the first world cup for America in 40 years. That campaign from qualifying to competing is the greatest American soccer story there is – and every generation that comes after owes these boys a huge debt - and Bruce was there for all of that.
I really do love Bruce Murray – in many ways, of all the sits I have done – he is my favorite one.