Super Bowl Reminds of NFL Great Merlin Olsen, Who Died from Mesothelioma

The New York Giants beat the New England Patriots on Sunday night in Super Bowl XLVI, but the world's biggest sporting event also brought to mind an NFL legend who never played in one. Merlin Olsen was a Hall of Fame defensive tackle for the Los Angeles Rams. He never played in a Super Bowl, but he appeared in 14 Pro Bowls and was a TV analyst at Super Bowl XXIII. Olsen died of mesothelioma in 2010. His cancer is believed to be caused by asbestos exposure stemming from multiple jobs including construction work and drywall. Mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the lining of the lungs, affects over 3,000 people per year, including other notable American athletes, celebrities and icons. Because of the highly aggressive nature of the disease, even the toughest athletes aren't always able to stop the cancer's difficult prognosis. Successful Career, Successful Life Mesothelioma is often considered a blue-collar disease because it is often contracted through occupational exposure to asbestos, and many of the at-risk occupations are blue-collar ones. When it came to his playing career, Olsen was decidedly blue-collar. With the Rams, Olsen was a member of the Fearsome Foursome, a four-man defensive front that controlled -- and many times dominated -- games. Rosie Grier, Lamar Lundy and Deacon Jones were Olsen's three teammates on the front. (Like Olsen, Jones is in the Hall of Fame. Grier became famous outside of football when he tackled Sirhan Sirhan after his assassination of Robert F. Ke...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Celebrities Source Type: news