Merril Hoge
| No. 33 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Running back | ||
| Personal information | |||
| Date of birth: | January 26, 1965 | ||
| Place of birth: | Pocatello, Idaho | ||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
| Weight: | 212 lb (96 kg) | ||
| Career information | |||
| High school: | Pocatello (ID) Highland | ||
| College: | Idaho State | ||
| NFL Draft: | 1987 / Round: 10 / Pick: 261 | ||
| Career history | |||
| Career NFL statistics | |||
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| Player stats at PFR | |||
| Player stats at NFL.com |
Merril DuAine Hoge (/ˈhɒdʒ/; born January 26, 1965) is a former professional American football player. He played eight seasons at running back for the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers and Chicago Bears, retiring after the 1994 season. Since 1996 he has been a football analyst for ESPN television.
Hoge was born and raised in Pocatello, Idaho. After graduating from Highland High School in 1983, he stayed in town to play college football for the Idaho State University in the Big Sky Conference. Hoge was a three-time all-conference selection at running back.
The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Hoge in the 10th round of the 1987 NFL Draft with the 261st pick overall. After seven seasons with the Steelers, Hoge signed with the Chicago Bears in 1994, but played in only five games with six carries and 13 receptions.
During a road game in 1994 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Hoge suffered a concussion and, five days later, the team doctor approved him to resume playing during a telephone call without examining him to determine if he had recovered; he was still suffering post-concussion symptoms.
Hoge sustained another concussion several weeks later, and had to be resuscitated after he stopped breathing. He spent 48 hours in the intensive-care unit and was forced to retire due to brain injury. Hoge had to learn to read again and experienced memory loss, confusion and headaches. He later sued the Bears team doctor and won a $1.55 million judgment. Steelers team physician, neurosurgeon Joseph Maroon, had established a baseline for evaluating cognitive effects of concussions, so when Hoge continued to experience impairment after several weeks, he returned to Dr. Maroon for a new evaluation. Maroon's team found a "marked disparency", informing Hoge that further concussions would risk permanent brain damage. Upon receiving this information, Hoge retired.
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