Vincent Jackson’s death has been a sad, confusing and lengthy event, one that included assumptions and accusations during a painful time for Jackson’s family.
Yesterday, more information about his passing came to light.
The Medical Examiner for Hillsborough County (Florida) stated that the former NFL receiver died from chronic alcohol use and that the manner of his death in February was “natural.”
The report comes a week after Jackson’s family stated he was diagnosed with stage 2 CTE.
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is the progressive brain disease associated with concussions. The condition has affected many in the NFL, causing some, like Junior Seau and Dave Duerson, to take their own life after suffering from the debilitating disease for years.
CTE’s symptoms include mood swings, depression and paranoia. It can also lead to serious changes in behavior, including alcoholism and neglect of personal hygiene.
The latter plagued former NFL player, Phillip Adams. He suffered from an “unusually severe” case of stage 2 CTE that ultimately drove him to shoot and kill six people before killing himself.
Like these men, Jackson’s mood and behavior changed. No longer was the pleasant, selfless, business and charity-minded man the smiling person he once was.
“He became depressed, with progressive memory loss, problem solving difficulties, paranoia, and eventually extreme social isolation,” said Dr. Ann McKee, chief of neuropathology for the VA Boston Healthcare System and director of the BU CTE Center and VA-BU-CLF Brain Bank.
McKee studied Jackson’s brain after his family donated it to the center for testing.
She found that he did, in fact, suffer from stage 2 CTE.
“That his brain showed stage 2 CTE should no longer surprise us; these results have become commonplace,” she added.
The Hillsborough County’s autopsy, according to ESPN.com, showed he suffered from “alcoholic cardiomyopathy, hepatic steatosis and fibrosis, esophageal varices, ascites, jaundice, remote pancreatitis, renal failure and hyponatremia dehydration, cardiovascular disease, and intoxication by ethyl alcohol — all consistent with chronic alcohol use. The medical examiner found that he had a blood alcohol content of 0.28%.”
That report also confirmed he had stage 2 CTE.
While it’s unclear whether Vincent Jackson sought help or treatment for his condition, it’s glaringly clear that the NFL’s failure and deceit in handling concussions contributed to the pain and suffering of players like Jackson.
Let’s hope more is done so that doctors will have the ability to diagnose CTE before death.
