Former Colt turned crooner Ben Utecht’s new music single addresses a subject that’s very close to home: the memory loss associated with concussions.
The lite-FM ballad titled “You Will Always Be My Girls,” accompanied by a grim, melodramatic video co-starring his wife, describes a young family man coming to grips with brain trauma.
Sample lyrics: “A moment is slipping away/I’ll hold on as long as I can, to you/I may not remember your name/Or the smell of the cool summer rain/Everything and nothing has changed.”
“It has really become an anthem — not only for me, but so many that are affected by brain disease, which is 1 in 6,” Utecht said, according to the San Jose Mercury News. “People don’t realize that. One in six are affected by brain disease. It’s really been a song of hope for people. That’s why it was written.”
The tight end appeared in 51 NFL games in four seasons, winning a Super Bowl with the Colts after the 2006 season, before retiring at the age of 27 due to the aftereffects of five documented concussions.