MRI on former Cardinal Beanie Wells reveals brain trauma

Former Arizona Cardinals running back Beanie Wells said Monday that an MRI revealed he has suffered brain trauma from his football career and is undergoing treatments.

A host on the Tim and Beanie show on 97.1 FM The Fan in Columbus, Ohio, Wells recently stepped away due to medical concerns. He returned to the show and revealed his ailments Monday.

“At this present moment I’m OK. I went for an MRI scan for my head and I saw some things on there that quite didn’t look right and also had some symptoms that led to me going into that scan. I had some headaches, and also I was forgetting the littlest things,” Wells said.

“The brain has plaque. I have some plaque separation and when you have some plaque separation, it shows that you’ve experienced some traumatic brain injury. Obviously, that traumatic brain injury for me would come from playing football.”

The Cardinals drafted Wells 31st overall in 2009, and he played for them from 2009-2012. He was waived by the Cardinals in 2013, then attempted a comeback before he tore his Achilles in a 2014 workout with the Baltimore Ravens.

With Arizona, Wells rushed for 2,471 yards over four seasons, including a 1,047-yard year in 2011.

After being diagnosed with brain trauma, Wells said he will only be working his radio job once a week as he continues treatment.

Leading to his medical examination, he noticed a change in his health and his mental abilities over the past six to seven months.

“When you start to feel a little bit indifferent upstairs, it scares you,” he said to co-host Tim Hall. “The pausing and having to really think about what I’m trying to say because I’m searching for the words: That wasn’t me. I always knew what to say and I always stuttered, I always talked really fast, but the words that were supposed to be there weren’t there.

“I’m not out of the woods yet. I’m hopeful. I’m here right now and I’m excited to be here.”

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