Ex-Jet Gastineau has dementia

Mark Gastineau, one of the most feared passrushers of the 1980s who helped anchor the Jets’ famed New York Sack Exchange defensive line, is suffering from dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease — the result, he says, of the hits he delivered and took during his 10-year NFL career. Gastineau, 60, now works with USA Football’s Heads Up Football program to promote safer tackling. “If I would have had the techniques out there that I’m teaching now to these kids ... I know I wouldn’t have the results that I have now,” he told WOR radio.