On Monday, doctors at Boston University announced that former NFL defensive back Dave Duerson suffered from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) at the time of his suicide in February. CTE is a brain disease that he developed as a result of at least 10 concussions he had during his NFL career.
Dave Duerson Had Brain Damage As A Result Of CTE
The doctors announced that he had “moderately advanced” signs of CTE and “no evidence of any other disorder.“It affected many of his cognitive abilities.
This was the expected news, as the Boston University School of Medicine had issued press releases several days earlier for the Monday event. His ex-wife and children were flown in for the announcement, and his family hopes that some good can come from this news. Before he committed suicide, Duerson asked family members to donate his brain for scientific study to determine if concussions caused him any brain damage.
As it has become clear over the last few years, current and former NFL players and the league are slowly realizing the need to combat the concussion problem. While new rules in 2010 created safeguards for players before returning to the field, there is still much work to do.
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