(Tampa) Researchers diagnosed former NFL receiver Vincent Jackson with stage 2 chronic traumatic encephalopathy, who was found dead in a Florida hotel room in February.
Jackson played 12 seasons in the NFL, with the San Diego Chargers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, before retiring in 2018. He died at the age of 38.
The family of the late player on Thursday released the results of a study conducted by the Boston-based Concussion Legacy Foundation brain bank in the hopes of raising awareness about chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and the risks of this disease.
“Vincent has dedicated a large part of his life to helping others. Even after his death, I know he would like to continue on that same path, Jackson’s widow Lindsey said in a statement released by the foundation. We hope to continue to see advances in research into this disease, allowing doctors to diagnose it in a living being and find treatment options. ”
The foundation describes CTE as a “progressive degenerative brain disease caused by repetitive head trauma,” adding that stage 2 CTE is “associated with behavioral symptoms such as aggression, impulsivity, depression, etc. ‘anxiety, paranoia, drug addiction and suicidal ideation, as well as progressive cognitive symptoms’.
The fourth stage of the disease is the most severe and is usually associated with dementia, according to the foundation.
“Vincent Jackson was brilliant, kind and disciplined and his life started to change in his mid-thirties. He became depressed, with progressive memory loss, difficulty solving problems, paranoia, and ultimately extreme social isolation, ”said physician Ann McKee, head of neuropathology for the VA Boston Healthcare System.
“That his brain showed stage 2 CTE should no longer surprise us; these results have become commonplace, she added in the foundation’s statement. What is surprising is that so many football players have died with this disease and so little is being done to make football at all levels safer by limiting the number of repetitive hits to the head. ”
Jackson was found by a housekeeping worker four days after he checked into a Tampa-area hotel.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said at the time there was no sign of trauma and the medical examiner’s office was investigating the cause of death.
Jackson started his professional career with the Chargers and then signed with the Buccaneers in 2012. He ended his career with 540 receptions for 9,080 yards and 57 touchdowns.
On four occasions, Jackson has been nominated for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in the NFL. He continued to be involved in many charitable causes after he retired, including his own foundation, Jackson In Action 83, which supported military families.