Hall-of-Famer breaks down as he makes heartbreaking announcement.

Fans of the National Hockey League know all too well the long-term consequences repeated blows to the head having lost men like Wade Belak, Derek Boogaard and Rick Rypien in incidents all believed to be linked to brain damage. 

On Friday another huge name came out in support of CTE research, this time however it was from the world of professional football. National Football League Hall-of-Famer Nick Buoniconti made a heart-breaking announcement in front of the assembled media and thousands watching his press conference live. 

Buonciconti revealed that he would be donating his brain to science, however it was the words he used to describe his motivation for doing so that truly shocked those in attendance, words he only managed to utter with tears streaming down his face.

"This is not easy, it's difficult, I'm not half the man I used to be."

It's a sobering look at a man who was once worshiped by fans for his toughness of the playing field and a dark reminder of the kind of long-term damage the brain can suffer, sometimes years later, because of repeated blows to the head. 

You can see the clip in question below but fair warning, this is not easy to watch.

[pub]