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Former Atlanta Falcons linebacker Tim Green says he has ALS

Defensive back Tim Green of the Atlanta Falcons (right) goes up against offensive tackle Jackie Slater of the Los Angeles Rams during a game at Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. The Rams won the game 31-21. Mandatory Credit: Allen

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Former Syracuse and Atlanta Falcons defensive lineman Tim Green has revealed he has Lou Gehrig's Disease.

Green wrote in a Facebook post Wednesday night that for the past five years he's been coping with "neurological problems" in his hands.

He says doctors first thought the damage his elbows had received during his playing days in the 1980s and 1990s was the culprit.

But the problems didn't go away after surgery and his voice also began to get weak before he was diagnosed with ALS.

The 54-year-old Green, the Orange All-American who played eight seasons in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons, writes that the version of the disease, known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, that he has is slow-progressing and that he's "extremely grateful" for that.

Green is one of at least 16 other former NFL players to have suffered from ALS. Former 49ers wide receiver Dwight Clark died in June from the disease.

Green and his family have started a non-profit called Tackle ALS.

The Falcons drafted Tim Green 17th overall in the 1986 NFL Draft. Green played during one of the franchise’s toughest periods, an eight-year stretch where the Falcons made just one playoff appearance.

Information from the Associated Press and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution contributed to this report.

Associated Press

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