Tom Coughlin Details Wife's Battle with Brain Disorder That's Left Her Without Ability to Speak

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Tom Coughlin, the former New York Giants coach, wrote a heartbreaking essay in the New York Times about becoming a caretaker to his wife after she was diagnosed with an incurable brain disorder.

Tom, who led the Giants to two Super Bowl wins, said his wife, Judy, was diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy after she began showing symptoms four years ago.

"As so many of you are gearing up for another NFL season, I will be sitting far from the sidelines, at the bedside and holding the hand of my biggest supporter, my beloved wife, the mother of our children and a grandmother to our grandchildren," Tom wrote in his essay, published in the Times on Tuesday.

"We've helplessly watched her go from a gracious woman with a gift for conversation, hugging all the people she met and making them feel they were the most important person in the room, to losing almost all ability to speak and move," he continued.

According to Mayo Clinic, the uncommon brain disease causes "serious" problems with walking, balance, eye movement, and swallowing. The condition involves the deterioration of the regions of the brain that control thinking, movement, and coordination, the clinic explained. Tom said he did not go public with his wife of 54 years' symptoms in order to "protect" her dignity.

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Tom said he was moved to write the essay after he was asked why his wife hadn't been seen at a recent event for the family's charity.

"Judy's decline has been nothing but gut-wrenching and has placed me in a club with the tens of millions of other Americans who serve as a primary caregiver for a loved one," Tom wrote in his essay. "Admittedly, transitioning from being with an NFL franchise to full-time caregiver wasn't easy. It's still not easy."

"The playbook is either changing by the minute or so numbingly repetitious, you lose track of time and self," he added.

Those diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy may also experience frequent falls, which could lead to serious injuries, as well as difficulty sleeping and impulsive behavior, Mayo Clinic said.

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After leaving the Giants, Tom served as executive vice president of football operations for the Jacksonville Jaguars before being let go in December 2019, ESPN reported at the time.

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Now, Tom said his days are now focused on caring for Judy, something he said life in the NFL could have never prepared him for.

"I've learned firsthand caregiving is all-consuming," Tom wrote. "It is mentally and physically exhausting. Sometimes you just need a break … I've spent my entire life preparing for some of the biggest games a person could play, but nothing can prepare you to be a caregiver who has to watch a loved one slip away."