...Indeed, just minutes after using the phrase “battle of attrition” when referring to the sport and sharing a story about Coach Bill Parcells expecting guys to play hurt during his time in Dallas, the 15-year veteran (Terence Newman) was suddenly flooded with notifications and text messages about the Cowboys running back being found in his apartment on June 1.
The two-time Pro Bowler’s immediate reaction indicated that, while saddened by the news of Barber’s passing, he wasn’t terribly surprised...
“I had seen Marion three years ago, just before I moved out here. It was raining, and I’m driving to the gas station- probably about a mile from my house- and Marion had lived in a high-rise not far from my house. So I see this guy walking down the street, in the rain. I get to the gas station, and it’s Marion. I hadn’t seen Marion in a while, but I heard he had fallen on hard times and wasn’t doing too well. So we talked and exchanged numbers, but I was scared when I saw him. He looked bad. He looked like he wasn’t there, like he was a different person, like he couldn’t function. And that’s probably why he was walking and not driving. When I tell you I was scared, I thought he might swing on me. I was actually scared.
His face was just droopy. It looked like he was homeless. Like he lived on the streets. I guess he had so many concussions that it really impacted him. I read in the paper he had gone to a church and got arrested — in a little town just outside of Dallas. He had taken a gun to church, and he had shown the people in the church the gun. So they called the cops and took him in for a mental evaluation.”
Newman was
not the first ex-teammate to express concerns for the punishing runner’s health and well-being. Wideout Dez Bryant had described Barber as “down and out bad” in a tweet last July. Safety Keith Davis checked on Barber frequently and wondered, “Did I do enough? Could I have done something else?”
(Continued):
https://cowboyswire.usatoday.com/20...terence-newman-recalls-marion-barber-meeting/
PS: CTE is scary. Now we see why the NFL has clamped down hard against using your head to lead and make a tackle. Yes, it has made the game less physical, but it's for the long-term health of the players.
