Dean Windass has revealed that he was diagnosed with Stage Two dementia at the age of 54.
The much-travelled, prolific former striker has told Mail Sport that he was given the devastating news 12 months ago and is now taking things ‘a day at a time’.
On a day when a group of high-profile former players launched a campaign to call on the Premier League, FA and PFA to set up a fund for care costs for ex-players amid a surging crisis, the Hull City legend – whose dramatic 2008 play-off final strike sent the Tigers to the Premier League – decided to speak out about his own situation to raise awareness of their cause.
‘I was asked if, as an ex-player, I would be prepared to go for a scan,’ Windass explained. ‘I panicked a bit because they said that it would be a couple of weeks before the results came back but I then got a text asking me to have a Zoom call.
‘The conversation I had was that there was nothing to worry about at this stage but the scan has come back as mild grade two dementia. Immediately, I was like ‘oh f***, what does that mean?’
While a year has now passed Windass, who plundered 141 goals in a career spanning close to 20 years for clubs including Aberdeen, Middlesbrough and Bradford City, admits he is still struggling to process the information.
Former professional footballer Dean Windass has been diagnosed with stage two dementia
Windass, a prolific striker during his playing days, is best remembered for his remarkable volley in Hull City ‘s 2008 Championship play-off final against Bristol City
That specific goal secured the club’s historic promotion to the Premier League
‘I can’t really remember the exact words that I was told,’ he explained. ‘I don’t know how it will affect my life in the years to come. I do forget names. I’m 55 now so maybe that’s just old age. I was told that it was nothing to worry about at this stage and – you know me – I had a laugh and joke. I told them I was delighted that they had found a brain in there and that that was a plus.’
Windass, whose son Josh plays for Sheffield Wednesday and whose other son Jordan has played for Oldham and Darlington, says he is taking things ‘one day at a time’.
He added: ‘They told me I had ‘mild, Grafe Two dementia’. I don’t know the answers to how this will go because I’m not a scientist. It does worry me and if I start to feel different or start to get headaches then there are people I can see. I’m a bit naïve to it all. A woman came to my house later to do some tests and I couldn’t do them which upset me.’
Windass, who scored his last Premier League goal at the age of 39, officially announced his retirement from the game on 19 October 2009 and has been diagnosed within 15 years of hanging up.
His immediate focus is on preserving his post-playing career. ‘My job is an after-dinner speaker,’ he explained. ‘I’ve had no problems in the last 15 years where I’ve forgotten what to say. I remember Frank Worthington doing an after-dinner speech once where he told the same story. If it affects my work there’s an issue but I’m hoping it doesn’t.’
He is not looking too far into the future. ‘I don’t know what’s around the corner,’ he said. ‘I live day to day. I forget people’s names but is that just me getting old?’
Windass’s diagnosis was initially relayed, with his permission, by former Manchester United defender David May on BBC Breakfast this morning. He says he is coming forward to help Football Families For Justice, a group backed by Mail Sport columnist Chris Sutton, campaigner and son of World Cup winner Nobby, John Stiles, and the mayors of Greater Manchester and Liverpool, Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram.
They will propose an amendment to the Football Governance Bill in the spring which would effectively force the game’s authorities to fund care home costs for footballers, who are more than 3.5 times likely to die from a neurodegenerative disease than the general public. At the Manchester launch a video of support from David Beckham was shown.
‘We have got to help these families,’ said Windass. ‘If it does get worse for me it’s unfair on my family. Like those who have passed away in homes they need funding and the PFA should help these people. I’m hoping that it doesn’t happen to me but if it does they need help. These homes are an expensive do. We’re asking for the Premier League and PFA to step in.’
Windass is in no doubt at what triggered his diagnosis. ‘I’ve been heading footballs for a job,’ he said. ‘Not in the games but in training. Crossing and finishing drills. They asked me how many times I’d headed the ball in 20 years. Bloody hell! Thousands and thousands of times. If I get any worse then hopefully I will be looked after.’
In Manchester, Beckham told a host of ex-pros including the likes of Peter Reid, Jim Beglin and Gary McAlister, that he backed the campaign.
‘As a young player at Manchester United, I was privileged to be guided and mentored by (ex-coaches) Eric Harrison, Nobby Stiles and my dad’s hero Sir Bobby Charlton,’ Beckham said. ‘Like thousands of ex-players, all three died from neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia. I want to add my support to the work of John Stiles and Football Families for Justice in their campaign to meet the needs of those affected.
‘We need the football family to come together and allocate resources to help address the tragedy of these devastating diseases. Let’s ensure that victims and their families are treated with kindness, respect and best-in-class support. I hope you will join us in ensuring a better future for our former colleagues – the many ex-professional footballers who have brought so much joy to so many fans and for their loved ones.’
A video from Sutton was also played at the event. ‘My dad Mike passed away four years ago,’ the former Celtic, Blackburn and Norwich man explained. ‘He died because of heading a football. He had dementia and he suffered horrendously at the end. It was very upsetting for all of our family.
‘I am sending this message on behalf of my family and all the other families of ex-players who have suffered and died in the most unimaginable manner and the ex-players who are still suffering thanks to a lack of support from the footballing authorities.
‘Let’s hope with this group garnering support that things actually start to change because the footballing authorities have done nowhere near enough I won’t hold my breath but fingers crossed that the ex players and their families start getting the support they deserve from the game.’
Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester, and Steve Rotheram, mayor of the Liverpool city region, hosted the event, where testimonies were heard from former players, their families, MPs, medical experts and campaigners.
Stiles described the situation as ‘an iceberg’. ‘There are 55,000 ex players and the PFA expect 16,000 of them to get dementia. This is an epidemic.’
