Deceased Former Nfl Star Had Brain Damage Doctors Find

As we have reported in previous posts, brain injuries, including major concussions, are very dangerous and can lead to permanent damage. Brain injuries in the United States most commonly result from accidents, sports injuries and assaults, and should be treated by a doctor immediately.

Today, national news sources revealed that the one-time NFL star for the Chicago Bears, Dave Duerson, had “classic” and “moderately advanced” symptoms of brain damage as a result of multiple concussions, according to doctors who studied his brain after he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in February.

The football great had asked that his brain be examined to study chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is common among football players and other athletes who experience frequent concussions induced by hard hits, including boxers and hockey players.

The condition is a degenerative disease that can “affect things like judgment, inhibition, impulse control, mood and memory,” according to the director of Neuropathology Care at Boston University’s Alzheimer’s Disease Center, where Duerson’s brain was studied.

The findings were made public by Duerson’s family, who said that they hope “his death will not be in vain, and through this research, his legacy will live on.”

Duerson, who was a four-time pro bowler and won two Super Bowls, is believed to have suffered 10 concussions during his 11-year NFL career. Duerson was found dead in his Florida home last February after having shot himself in the chest. He was 50-years-old.

The NFL has said that it is committed to making the sport safer and preventing head injuries to its players. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the NFL has donated $1 million to the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTSE) at Boston University to help fund more research.

So far, the CTSE has more than 70 brains belonging to former athletes and military veterans for purposes of the research, it was reported.

Source: Fox News, “Former NFL Star Dave Duerson Had Brain Damage at Time of Suicide,” 5/3/2011.