Former Steeler Gives Emotional Testimony About On-Field Injury

A former Steeler gave an emotional testimony in front of Congress Wednesday about head injuries in the NFL.

Merril Hoge got choked up describing his second on-field concussion.

"In the first 24 hours, I couldn't recall my wife," Hoge said. "I had to learn how to read again, I went through depression. And these major symptoms took nearly two years to recover from."

With severely injured NFL vets in the audience, Congress questioned the NFL over medical studies showing on-field concussions put football players at a greater risk for Alzheimer’s and dementia.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell wouldn't acknowledge a link, but said the league is doing a better job protecting its current players.

"We are changing the culture of our game for the better," Goodell said. "Medical conditions must always come first."

NFL veterans said former players are paying a severe price for those hits, without enough financial support from the league.

"It's been a shame, an embarrassment, to have the NFL bypass medical treatment to any of these former players," said hall of famer Jim Brown.

Congress can strip the NFL of its anti-trust exemption, a tool the league uses to sign lucrative TV contracts. Congress threatened to do so Wednesday unless the league puts up more money for its injured veterans.

Congress has ordered the NFL to turn over its medical records for further review.