Dexter Manley recovering from brain surgery
 Knocking Dallas QB Danny White out of the 1982 NFC championship was Manley’s signature moment on the field. (Richard Darcey/The Washington Post) |
The latest chapter in the stormy life of Dexter Manley has him recovering from brain surgery at Georgetown University hospital. ESPN.com reports the former Redskin had surgery to remove an enlarged colloid cyst on his brain. Doctors performed 10.5 hours of surgery on Manley after police found his disoriented in NE on June 16. He is expected to recover, but with some memory loss.
The colorful Manley, a defensive end who was regularly a league leader in sacks, battled several demons over the years. He was ultimately kicked out of the NFL for continued cocaine abuse, which plagued him during his post-NFL years as well. He has apparently been clean since a 2002 arrest and incarceration in his hometown of Houston. He returned to D.C. in 2004 as director of community outreach for Second Genesis, a non-profit rehab program.
Perhaps Manley is best known off the field for confronting his own illiteracy. This excellent Ebony article from 1989 details how Manley got by without knowing how to read. He realized he needed help when his teammate Joe Theismann was carted off the RFK Stadium turf with a career-ending broken leg in 1985. After learning to read, Manley gave memorable testimony before a Senate panel on literacy.
More about Dexter Manley
MONDAY UPDATE: Manley Upbeat After Brain Surgery
A 2005 Profile from The Post: Now, Manley Moves People With Words
A 2005 profile from The St. Pete Times: Finally beating the beast inside
