The former Premier League forward Dean Windass has been diagnosed with dementia at the age of 55, it has been revealed.
The former Hull and Bradford City player, who scored the goal that took Hull to the Premier League in 2008, has stage two of the condition, but joked with social media followers that he was “glad they found a brain”.
The news was revealed in an interview given by the former Manchester United defender David May on BBC Breakfast . May was on the programme to discuss the connection between football and chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degenerative condition caused by repeated blows to the head, which can lead to dementia.
May said he had been given permission by Windass to reveal the diagnosis, something Windass confirmed on social media. In engaging with a number of supportive messages, Windass adopted a humorous tone. He also posted a video of himself miming along to the Glen Campbell song Rhinestone Cowboy with the caption: “Just got to keep smiling and trying to help people.”
Windass’s decision to make his diagnosis public was applauded by organisations who work to support people with neurodegenerative conditions. Dementia UK said: “By choosing to speak openly and publicly about his diagnosis, he will undoubtedly encourage others to seek support if they are concerned about symptoms they may be experiencing.”
Alzheimer’s UK said “We cannot understate the impact of people in the public eye sharing their personal stories of the condition, and we are so grateful to Dean for speaking out. It’s a deeply personal thing but it really helps shine a light on dementia – a condition that one in three people born today will develop in their lifetime.
Windass made his name playing for the Bradford City side that won promotion to the Premier League in the 1998-99 season, going on to become the team’s top scorer in the top flight as they stayed up against the odds. Windass went on to play a key part in another football miracle, when he made a return to his boyhood club Hull and became their talisman as they secured a Premier League spot in 2008, the club’s first ever season in the top flight.
He becomes the latest high-profile former player to have received a dementia diagnosis as the game continues to try to get to grips with the issue.
May made his appearance alongside John Stiles, the son of the former England international Nobby, as part of the Football Families for Justice (FFJ) group which is calling on the football authorities to do more to help former players diagnosed with dementia.
In 2023, the Premier League and the FA launched the Football Brain Health Fund to support families of players with dementia and other neurodegenerative conditions. Pledging £1m per annum in support to families, the fund has so far provided 120 grants to 85 families. Stiles described the fund as “a pittance”.
May told the BBC: “I’m 55 this year, I’d like to know where I’m going to be in 10 years’ time. Would I have the care from the governing bodies, from the PFA, the funding that these families now are not actually getting?
“I’m worried, of course I am. I’ve got a family to look after, and I don’t want my children looking after me day in, day out.”
May said that Windass was to tell his side of the story soon in an interview with a national newspaper.
David Beckham lent his support to FFJ in a video address played at a campaign meeting in Manchester. “We need the football family to come together and allocate resources to help address the tragedy of these devastating diseases,” the former England captain said. “Let’s ensure that victims and their families are treated with kindness, respect and best in class support.”
Source: theguardian.com
