New on SI: Gary Plummer Gets His Mind Right

A headbanging linebacker who played on the edge for 15 pro seasons and says he had more than 2,000 concussions, Gary Plummer felt his mind slipping away once he left the game. Fearful and desperate, he turned to alternative therapies—yoga, music, diet, even gardening—to counter the cognitive decline. Now he says he’s feeling, and thinking, better than he has in years. His message for other football players who are suffering: There is hope