THE  TRUTH

There is a growing public understanding of the Tyrer legacy. Yet, as the story has rapidly spread, so too has misinformation. Old debunked theories have resurfaced, false narratives have been created and motivations have been questioned. A full accounting will be unveiled in the film, In the meantime, we aim to clarify key misconceptions and dispel rumors.

• FICTION: The Tyrer story is making headlines because his children launched a public campaign. 

• FACT: Filmmaker Kevin Patrick Allen, recognized the uniqueness of the Tyrer children and sought to tell their story of resilience.  His research uncovered startling new evidence, leading to a more public reckoning with Jim Tyrer’s legacy. The Tyrers have neither contributed financially, nor do they stand to gain if the film is profitable. 

• FICTION: The concluding events of Jim Tyrer’s life indicate a profound moral failing that bars him from induction to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

• FACT: The rules of the Pro Football Hall of Fame are completely confined to the football field. The length of his pro football career, the position he played (left tackle), his style of play and his unique physical characteristics (Tyrer had the largest head in the league and he used it as a weapon) unwittingly cost both him and his wife, Martha, their lives. Avoiding Tyrer's story sidesteps an opportunity to more fully understand his legacy and to more fully understand the legacy of the evolving sport of football. 

• HALF-TRUTH: There is no way to know if Jim Tyrer had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) because he died decades before the disease was discovered. Additionally, CTE can only be diagnosed posthumously.

• FACT: The filmmakers’ investigation uncovered extensive, firsthand accounts of Jim Tyrer’s cognitive decline, dismantling the plausible deniability that critics have long relied on to sidestep public relations challenges of his case. Dr. Douglas Paone, who saw Tyrer shortly before his death, vividly recalled his severely diminished state, with Martha Tyrer pleading for help: “There’s something terribly wrong with him… he’s just not the same.” Dr. Paone is “100 percent” certain that CTE altered Tyrer's behavior. Chris Nowinski, founder of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, estimates the likelihood that Tyrer had CTE at more than 95 percent. "It  would be foolish not to think this is related to a progressive brain disease," Nowinski says. In short, plausible deniability is no longer plausible. 

• HALF-TRUTH: The murder-suicide of Jim and Martha Tyrer came as a result of business failures and an accumulation of debt.

• FACT: This oversimplification of the tragedy has persisted for decades. But it doesn't address the crucial underlying questions: Why did Tyrer's businesses fail? What led to the debt? Interviews with Tyrer's contemporaries reveal he planned for life after football, earning respect for his leadership and business acumen until his personality began to change and his cognitive decline became more pronounced. Eventually,  he struggled to make a living of any kind. This pattern aligns with the devastating impact of head trauma experienced by many former players.

• MYTH: Tyrer's finalist status as a Hall of Fame candidate is an example of pro football overlooking the issue of domestic violence in order to glorify a star player.  

• FACT: This myth, often circulated on social media and in forums, is without merit. Jim Tyrer did not have a criminal record. His four children never heard him raise his voice to their mother, Martha, let alone abuse her. The night of Jim and Martha Tyrer's deaths was the sole violent incident in family history. If pro football leaders had their way, its unlikely Tyrer would be a finalist. It would be far easier to avoid the public relations hassle the complex story represents for them. Had the filmmakers not launched their own investigation, the silence almost certainly would have persisted. Likewise, Tyrer wouldn't be a finalist had a conscientious smattering of voters not been willing to consider the truth of what the filmmakers discovered. 

• MYTH: Jim Tyrer's on the field accomplishments are no more significant than any other candidate. It’s only natural that voters haven't seriously considered his candidacy in 44 years. 

• FACT: Tyrer was a dominate force. His achievements — six first-team All-Pro selections, record-setting durability, and his pioneering role at the left tackle position — set him far apart from his contemporaries. Fellow Hall of Famers he competed against, like Houston Oilers defensive end Elvin Bethea, state "He was the preeminent left tackle in all of football. All other blockers I faced in the NFL were mediocre compared to him." 

Bethea's assessment is one of many like it:

"Jim Tyrer is the greatest eligible player not in the Hall of Fame."

— Historian, author, Michael Socolow

"No player not presently in the Hall of Fame has a stronger résumé than former Kansas City Chiefs left tackle Jim Tyrer. Certainly none of the original 61 senior nominees this year did. It is simply a fact beyond debate."

— Jim Borges, Selector for the Professional Football Hall of Fame

"The PFHOF senior committee in essence made a tacit acknowledgment that those last acts were committed by the beast of CTE, not the 41-year-old Tyrer himself."

— Vahe Gregorian, Kansas City Star

"Tyrer is the most qualified candidate in the senior pool. There are hundreds of players in that pool, and Tyrer is the only one that was a six-time, first team all-pro. If you are the best at what you do for six NFL seasons, you are a worthy Hall of Fame candidate. Beyond worthy, in fact."

— Rick Gosselin, former Dallas Morning News columnist