Hall of Fame Dolphins LB Nick Buoniconti Dies at Age 78

Hall of Famer Nick Buoniconti has died at age 78, it was reported Wednesday.

The Palm Beach Post's Hal Habib noted Buoniconti had been suffering from dementia and arranged to donate his brain to science in order to help further the research into the long-term effects of head injuries suffered in the NFL.

Buoniconti spent seven seasons apiece with the Boston Patriots and Miami Dolphins. He was a five-time All-Pro and helped lead the Dolphins to back-to-back Super Bowl titles in 1972 and 1973.

Buoniconti retired in 1976 and was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2001.

In recent years, he was among the former players who spoke out about the health effects that resulted from his time in the NFL.

In a May 2017 interview with Sports Illustrated's S.L. Price, he said he had been diagnosed with multiple concussions as a player. 

Price wrote that a doctor from the University of Miami determined in 2015 "Buoniconti's physical and mental symptoms were most compatible with senile dementia, Alzheimer's disease, CTE and frontotemporal dementia."

During an event for the Concussion Legacy Foundation in January 2018, Buoniconti said "CTE has taken my life away" and asserted he made a mistake by starting to play tackle football at nine years old.

Buoniconti also expressed doubt to Price about whether he would have pursued a career in football had he been aware of the long-term health risks but added he "had no alternative" and that the sport "kept rewarding me."