NEW YORK — A former college football player suffering from early dementia was among those who urged New York state legislators on Tuesday to ban tackle football for children 12 and younger.

T.J. Abraham, who is now a doctor, testified before a state Assembly committee hearing in Manhattan about the brain damage he says has destroyed his medical practice and disrupted family life.

“There were many days in college I remember `seeing stars,’ the sky turning purple or orange, or vomiting due to a severe headache after a head-on collision,” said Abraham, 42. “At the time, I thought this was normal and was told by coaches to `suck it up.”’

Decades after he stopped playing for Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Abraham was forced to stop working as a gynecologist last year because of a failing memory — he even forgot how to perform medical procedures he had done thousands of times. He would lose wallets, keys, important documents, and his way on the road while driving.