NFL's Hard Knocks Haunt Former Player Via Conservatorship

A thick neck and broad shoulders support his barrel of a chest.

His voice is guttural, commanding.

If it wasn't for a limp from a bad back, Jerry Eckwood almost looks like he could suit up and again step onto an NFL football field. Even at 56.

In Judge Randy Kennedy's Davidson County courtroom Thursday, there were questions about whether Eckwood could handle the simple stuff: a debit card, grocery shopping, living alone. Or, does the judge need to appoint someone to help him care for himself.

Worries about Eckwood's mind surfaced after a representative from the NFL Player Care Foundation came to Tennessee in 2010 to see Eckwood. The foundation helps former players get benefits due them. After the visits, the foundation asked the court to appoint a conservator to manage Eckwood's finances, medical affairs and living arrangements.

Eckwood was kicked out of a Green Hills assisted living center in November, after he struck a staff member, court records state. A similar facility in Antioch also didn't work out.

He's been living at a similar-type center in Franklin, but longs for more independence and is contesting the conservatorship.

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NFL's Hard Knocks Haunt Franklin Man