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GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The last two years of Don Majkowski's life have been what every current and former NFL player fears. The once-great quarterback who seemed poised to turn around the Green Bay Packers in the early 1990s is now experiencing nearly every possible downfall the game of football can present to those who played it.
Only 49 years old, Majkowski has been in significant pain and agony. The player who used to attack defenses with reckless abandon struggles simply to leave his house these days.
"I haven't worked, I haven't coached, I haven't done anything," Majkowski told FOXSportsWisconsin.com. "It's very difficult to even sit for five minutes. It's been a nightmare."
The list of Majkowski's physical problems is lengthy and includes everything from degenerative disk disease in his neck and back to post-concussion syndrome. But his issues started with his left ankle. He's had 11 surgeries on it, including back-to-back fusions after the first attempt didn't work.
"It's just locked in place now," Majkowski said. "I can't move my foot at all."
Majkowski's ankle problems began on a memorable day in Packers history. On Sept. 20, 1992, he tore a ligament in his ankle, opening the door for 22-year-old backup Brett Favre to make his Lambeau Field debut. Favre led the Packers to a comeback win that day and started his next 297 NFL games. Majkowski – a rare combination of talent and swagger dubbed the Majik Man while finishing second in NFL MVP voting to Joe Montana in 1989 -- never took another snap in Green Bay and signed on as a backup with the Indianapolis Colts the next season.
Three years later in 1996, by then with the Detroit Lions, Majkowski damaged his ankle further. He underwent surgery by Dr. James Andrews in June of that year and was told it would be a three-month recovery process. Sitting out for three months would have meant not playing in the preseason, which could have cost the then 32-year-old a backup job with the Lions.
"My ankle was 60 percent, and they needed me to start a preseason game in Detroit," Majkowski said. "They asked if I could be dependable. I went out there and played and it numbed up. I tore it up, and it's affected me the rest of my life. That's what messed it up real bad.
http://www.foxsportswisconsin.com/0...-nigh/landing.html?blockID=885423&feedID=5069
Only 49 years old, Majkowski has been in significant pain and agony. The player who used to attack defenses with reckless abandon struggles simply to leave his house these days.
"I haven't worked, I haven't coached, I haven't done anything," Majkowski told FOXSportsWisconsin.com. "It's very difficult to even sit for five minutes. It's been a nightmare."
The list of Majkowski's physical problems is lengthy and includes everything from degenerative disk disease in his neck and back to post-concussion syndrome. But his issues started with his left ankle. He's had 11 surgeries on it, including back-to-back fusions after the first attempt didn't work.
"It's just locked in place now," Majkowski said. "I can't move my foot at all."
Majkowski's ankle problems began on a memorable day in Packers history. On Sept. 20, 1992, he tore a ligament in his ankle, opening the door for 22-year-old backup Brett Favre to make his Lambeau Field debut. Favre led the Packers to a comeback win that day and started his next 297 NFL games. Majkowski – a rare combination of talent and swagger dubbed the Majik Man while finishing second in NFL MVP voting to Joe Montana in 1989 -- never took another snap in Green Bay and signed on as a backup with the Indianapolis Colts the next season.
Three years later in 1996, by then with the Detroit Lions, Majkowski damaged his ankle further. He underwent surgery by Dr. James Andrews in June of that year and was told it would be a three-month recovery process. Sitting out for three months would have meant not playing in the preseason, which could have cost the then 32-year-old a backup job with the Lions.
"My ankle was 60 percent, and they needed me to start a preseason game in Detroit," Majkowski said. "They asked if I could be dependable. I went out there and played and it numbed up. I tore it up, and it's affected me the rest of my life. That's what messed it up real bad.
http://www.foxsportswisconsin.com/0...-nigh/landing.html?blockID=885423&feedID=5069
