. >> reporter: i had the pleasure of meeting john and sylvia mackey a few years back. and we talked about his condition and how the hard hits he took on the football field could have been to blame. mackey played tight end from 1963 to 1971 and was a big part of their 1971 super bowl win. off the field, mackey was the first president of the nfl players association. wjz spoke with sylvia mackey earlier today, about the loss of her husband. >> i'm doing well, thank you. because -- it's not like all of a sudden, he was killed or something was unexpected. i understood the disease. i knew the direction that it was going in. >> you just hope that it takes longer than it does. and he did outlive the average. the average after diagnosis is 7 to 10 years. he was just hitting the end of the 10th year. >> now, sylvia mackey's concern about her husband's condition is responsible for an ongoing study on the long-term effects of concussions on nfl players. >> john mackey was 69 years old. funeral plans are still being finalized. wjz will have more on his passing coming up at 5:00 and

. >> reporter: sylvia mackey is remembering the many great stories, surrounding her hall of fame great husband. one of the famous tight ends who played for the baltimore colts from 1963 to 1971. her favorite memory, john's refusal to accept the ring in indianapolis. >> he said, i'm not going to do that. i'd rather receive it in baltimore in a bar over a beer and crabs than to receive it in indianapolis. >> reporter: mackey received that at baltimore memorial stadium. sylvia by his side. what he knew and we would soon learn was that he was diagnosed with dementia. john lived with it for 10 years and it led to the 88 plan to help retired players cover medical care. >> look how much good this has done for so many families, and the residual effect, for not only the player and the wife but even the children and grandchildren. >> reporter: john mackey will also be remembered for his efforts to advance player interests and fans will remember many ones like this one, in 2002, he was inducted into the ravens ring of honor. >> when they got to john, they gave him his bault, he jumped up from his

i think sylvia mackey right now can attest to that. it is been 10 years of a long goodbye for john. >> his pain was so thoroughly felt in baltimore because of what he gave to the city, to our community. he shared his love for us in his hall of fame induction speech in 1992. >> the baltimore colts today. it makes me feel good when i look over there and i see colt corral. i see colt fans, colt fans, want you to know, i love you. >> pete gilbert, wbal-tv 11 news. >> now traffic pulse 11 and insta-weather plus together. >> good morning. kim dacey checking on your morning commute. still two down trees in the phoenix area in baltimore county. there is a closure near -- one getting by because of the downed tree. there's a crest at central and pennsylvania. because of artscape come we have a closure at dolphin street. this is the beltway on the west side at frederick road on the southwest side. inner and outer loops of moving just fine. a little heavier but no delays to report just yet. this is the topside of the beltway. no delays. 95 check i

sylvia mackey said she believed a career in the n.f.l. left her husband with chronic tramatic encepholopathy, or c.t.e., a degenerative brain disease. >> are there good days and bad days? >> yes. and great days and not so great days. >> reporter: on the good days, how is it different from what we're seeing now from mr. mackey? >> on good days, he'll get up and walk up and down. he'll throw and catch the ball. actually, today would be a good day if it won't for the twitching, they call it a jerk. >> reporter: and speech? >> he doesn't talk anymore, very rarely. >> reporter: despite that, mackey could still throw a football around and had some memories of his glory days. >> who did you play for, did you play for the baltimore who? baltimore? >> colts. >> right! that's right. >> reporter: healthcare for former players like mackey has been an issue in negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement for current players. an nfl lockout has been underway since march. in honor of john's jersey number "88," an n.f.l. labor agreement ratifie

special dinners, golf outings, and always in his honor and right by his side, sylvia, how is john doing? tonight john mackey dead at the age of 69. the moreover ravens were the first to report the news of john mackey's death this morning. in a statement, we are tremendously saddened to hear about the passing of john mackey and our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, sylvia and his family. he will be sorely missed not only by his family, but also by the entire baltimore community. and general manager ozzie said john revolutionized the tight end position. we wanted to hear from you. we ask you to share your thoughts, stories of john mackey on our facebook fan page. william wrote in, a gift that athletes and a wonderful human being condolences to the family and the dean shared this. my son was very sick due to a burst appendix that had to be removed and mr. mackey came to see him and gave him an autographed football. when vernon recovered, he treated us to dinner. my son never forgot this kind of act. if you'd like to share your memories and stories, head to our facebook fan page. the daughter of baltimor

mackey. i was fortunate to get to know john and sylvia personally and i was struck by her love and loyalty to the difficult times of his illness. he set the standards by which titans are measured on the field and he will be missed by his family but the entire baltimore command a." "i am mourning the loss and my deepest condolences go out to the family. he revolutionized the tide in position and he laid the groundwork for players." opening up a four game series in fenway. they opened up a 2-0 lead. it was the unleashing. arietta.s off jacke bottom five. bottom six. a two-run. debut. fenway next, josh reddick. oh, dear. nothing different from batting practice. next batter. back to back to back. he looks like he saw a ghost. 10-4 the final. my dad talked fondly of john mackey. a great baltimore and. not that long ago, many families were priced out of an overheated housing market. but the times have changed. get the facts at remax.com. it's a great place to see all the listings in thousands of cities and towns. with lots of houses to chose from and down-to-earth prices the dream of owning a home

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sylvia said last year she would donate john's brain to boston university to study brain injuries in athletes. john mackey dead tonight at the age of 69. >>> a witness to a stabbing death in the inner harbor on july 4 talks exclusively to abc2 news. he died on monday night just as the city's fireworks display was ending. the man we're talking to didn't want to use his name or face to be shown and he told abc2 that although he didn't see the actual stabbing, he was within a few feet of when the incident started. he says calo tried to stop his brother who shouted a racial slur and went after a man who claimed hit him in the head. when calo came back seconds later, his throat had been cut. he was bleeding badly. the scene was chaotic and made worse by people crowding in to look at the victim. >> poor guy was dying. these people walking by and they are watching this and it's like, hey, come on, get out of here. come on, go, move, move, get out of here. come on, you don't have to see this. take your kids, take your family. they were going by and they were watching it and they wanted to see it. >> now city poli