Late NFL WR Vincent Jackson Diagnosed With Stage 2 CTE

Vincent Jackson, the former NFL wide receiver who was found dead in a Florida hotel room earlier this year, has been diagnosed with Stage 2 CTE.

The Concussion Legacy Foundation announced the diagnosis on Thursday (December 16).

Vincent spent seven seasons playing for the San Diego Chargers and five seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In February, he was found dead in a Brandon, Florida hotel room after his family reported him missing. 

He had been staying at the hotel for a month. 

Vincent Jackson was only 38-years-old.

In a statement, his widow Lindsey Jackson said: 

Vincent dedicated so much of his life to helping others. Even in his passing, I know he would want to continue that same legacy.

By donating his brain to the VA-BU-CLF Brain Bank, we hope to continue to see advancements in CTE research, enabling physicians to diagnose the disease in the living and ultimately find treatment options in the future. 

There is still a lot to be understood about CTE, and education is the key to prevention. 

The conversation around this topic needs to be more prevalent, and our family hopes that others will feel comfortable and supported when talking about CTE moving forward.

Dr. Ann McKee, who directs the CTE Center at Boston University, said: 

That his brain showed stage 2 CTE should no longer surprise us; these results have become commonplace.

What is surprising is that so many football players have died with CTE and so little is being done to make football, at all levels, safer by limiting the number of repetitive subconcussive hits. CTE will not disappear by ignoring it, we need to actively address the risk that football poses to brain health and to support the players who are struggling.

Earlier this week, Dr. McKee diagnosed Phillip Adams with an “unusually severe” case of CTE in the frontal lobe of his brain. 

The NFL really has to make changes to better protect these players.

Source: ESPN