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Mark Gastineau made an emotional plea to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to help him and former players who are dealing with what he claims are football-related health issues.

The former New York Jets star said during a radio interview on 710 WOR Radio in New York that aired Thursday night that he wants ailing players to be taken care of by the NFL. The 61-year-old Gastineau announced last year that he was diagnosed with dementia Chiefs Breeland Speaks Jersey , Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease, and believes the conditions are the result of brain trauma from playing in the NFL for 10 seasons.

"I want the NFL to treat people right," Gastineau said during the interview. "They've got to. They have to."

Gastineau said Goodell told him when they talked at a Jets game over a year ago that he should let him know if he needs anything.

"The Commissioner told me, he said, 'Listen, Mark, you know what? You need anything, let me know,'" Gastineau told host Pete McCarthy. "He was my ball boy. I treated him great. He told me. ... Hey, Roger Goodell, treat people right."

An NFL spokesperson did not immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking comment on Gastineau's statements.

Gastineau is the Jets' career sacks leader and was one of the NFL's most recognizable stars because of his entertaining dances after taking down quarterbacks for New York from 1979-88. He and Goodell have known each other since the early 1980s, when Goodell interned in the Jets' public relations department.

"I want to hold you to your promise, Roger Goodell Sean Lee Cowboys Jersey ," Gastineau said. "You said, 'Anything I need! I want the players to be treated right."

Gastineau, who was joined by his wife JoAnn and lawyer Jason Luckasevic, began to cry during the interview when he spoke of his daily struggles to get out of bed and remember people's names.

"My brain isn't the same," he said. "My wife, she and I used to go around and do yard work," Gastineau said while crying. "But you know what? She does everything now for me. ... It's not good, it's not good.

"When I'm laying in bed until 3, 4 or 5 (p.m.), it's not good. There will be days I get up and I'm good. ... My wife will tell you, she helps me get out of bed ... and she'll help me remember names. I used to think I was all that, I did. But you know what? I was nothing. You know why? Because of what happened to me."

Gastineau, who said he routinely cracked his and other players' helmets during big hits in practices and games Vita Vea Jersey Elite , dabbled in boxing after retiring from football and had 17 professional fights. He is a plaintiff in the concussion lawsuit against the NFL, but has not received any money as a result. JoAnn Gastineau said NFL doctors questioned her husband's dementia diagnosis, but approved it in October after eight months. She said the NFL sent a notice to Luckasevic 30 days later saying it was appealing the settlement again for Gastineau's Parkinson's diagnosis.

"The NFL is wrong," Gastineau said. "The NFL is wrong, they're wrong. I'm not telling them to give me zillions of dollars. I don't want zillions of dollars. I just want to be treated with respect."

Marcedes Lewis wasn't sure if the Green Bay Packers were the right fit for him. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers and tight end Jimmy Graham made him feel at home at Lambeau Field.

Lewis visited Green Bay last week thinking he wanted to explore his options during his first stint as a free agent following 12 years with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He received calls from other teams, but he said that the Packers were the most persistent so he made Lambeau his first stop.

He never made another visit.

"This was the only place I took a trip ... I took my trip, and Aaron was here in the locker room. I started talking to him," Lewis said Thursday. "I started talking to Jimmy and I kind of made my decision that day.

"When I came down here, I didn't expect to sign anything," Lewis added. "I was just coming down here to get a feel. Once I saw Aaron and Jimmy, it was a no-brainer after that."

Lewis, 34, was released by the Jaguars in March after the team had picked up his one-year Vontaze Burfict Youth Jersey , $3.5 million option in February. His signing filled a glaring need - a blocking tight end - and gives the Packers another veteran at the position with Graham, a five-time Pro Bowler, and Lance Kendricks.

"I don't think we've had this much experience at the tight end position in my time here," said Packers coach Mike McCarthy, who called Lewis a "prime-time player."

"An on-the-line tight end is something we haven't had a lot of, as far as the way we've played over the years," McCarthy added. "He can block any defensive end on the league, and that's definitely a huge asset."

Lewis, who said he felt he got a "raw deal" from the Jaguars, started 157 games for Jacksonville. He has 375 career receptions, including 24 for 318 yards and five touchdowns last year.

Still, Lewis hasn't caught more than 25 passes in a season since 2012, when he had 52 receptions. His best season came in 2010 Authentic Addison Reed Jersey , when he earned his lone Pro Bowl selection by catching a career-high 58 passes for 700 yards and 10 touchdowns.

The 6-foot-6, 269-pound Lewis said he takes the "blocking tight end" moniker as a compliment, but added that "I pride myself on being a really good all-around tight end, whatever it is that I'm called upon to do."

It's the type of attitude that Rodgers loves to hear. Lewis' ability to help slow down pass-rushers should help an offensive line that has questions on the right side.

"Obviously, I'm a really good blocker, but don't get it mistaken. I didn't come here to be a tackle. ... Be on the other side of Jimmy doing some good things," he said. "It's going to be trouble out there."

Graham's strength is making tough catches. Kendricks provides experienced depth.

"Jimmy's not known as a blocking tight end, but he's willing. He will get in the way. He will punch you in the mouth," Lewis said. "So it's going to be interesting. We get in that personnel with three tight ends on the field and (defenses) have to leave base on the field, it's not going to be good."

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