Very sad day in the NFL and in the entertaining business.

Today is a sad day for Detroit Lions fans and people who watched the show "Webster" or saw the movie "Blazing Saddles."  Actor/athlete Alex "The Mad Duck" Karras passed away today at the age of 77.

According to ESPN and the Detroit Lions, Karras was suffering from kidney failure and dementia.  He was surrounded by his loving family at home.  This past weekend Karras was in the hospital as a patient and told his wife that he wanted to go home.  So his wife made arrangements for Karras to be transported to his home.  There, his friends and family came to see him and say their last goodbyes.

Fans can remember Karras as a "giant" on the football field who just wanted to win.  While playing football he had a trademark: a cigar.  In the locker room, Karras always had a cigar with him.

There were some good times and some bad times when he was playing football.  His statistics include first-team All-Pro in 1960, 1961, and 1965.  He also made the Pro-Bowl four times in his career.  He played for the same team his whole career: The Detroit Lions.  The 1963 season was not a bright spot in Karras' career.  The commissioner at the time, Pete Rozelle suspended Karras for the season due to gambling. (ESPN)

After Karras was finished with football, he started acting, appearing on shows like "Webster" and "The Odd Couple."  He was best known from his role in Blazing Saddles where he knocked out a horse with one punch.

After his playing and acting careers, Karras kept low for a while.  In early 2012, a group of ex-NFL players along with Karras filed a suit against the league.  The complaint was over the repeated hits that they take in a game that result in head injuries.  The suit is still in court and many ex-football players have died from dementia.

Karras was a man who loved the game of football and loved being around his family and friends.  He will be remembered as a "scary" defender with a big heart.  Hopefully, one day there can be some solace for players who play sports like football when they get hurt or die from injuries that resulted playing the sport that they love.  There will be more rules that protect the players and then there would be less lawsuits against a league so prestigious as the NFL.

R.I.P. Mr. Karras, no one will ever forget you for your skills in both football and acting.

Sporty Nikki