Last week we all were shocked to learn about the death of former San Diego Charger and Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver, Vincent Jackson.
A few days prior to his body being discovered by a hotel housekeeper, his family had reported him missing. Deputies from the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office found him two days later, concluded he was ok and canceled the missing persons report.
Unfortunately, Jackson was not in good health as three days later he was found dead in a Tampa hotel.
After his passing, conflicting opinions about the cause of death arose.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister said Jackson suffered from many things, particularly chronic alcoholism.
“We got the autopsy report back that is going to be released today,” said Chronister during a radio appearance. “Unfortunately, he suffered from chronic alcoholism. Again, just tragic. We haven’t gotten the toxicology report back, so can’t say with any certainty that was it. But a lot of longstanding health conditions that contributed to his passing because of some alcohol abuse.”
“This is just speculation, but what the family is telling me is that he suffered from CTE,” continued Chronister. “They believe he had a lot of concussion problems. When you suffer from that, you’re not yourself, you’re not your normal self. And they believe wholeheartedly all of these actions are a result of what he suffered while he was playing in the NFL.”
But Jackson’s family refuted Chronister’s comments.
“Sheriff Chronister does not speak on behalf of the Jackson family,” said his family in a statement. “The full autopsy report will not be available for weeks. Our focus right now is on laying Vincent to rest.”
The Sheriff’s Office confirmed the family’s statement and issued their own comments on the incident.
“It could be several weeks before we know what led to the untimely and tragic death of Vincent Jackson,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. “The Hillsborough County Medical Examiner’s office continues to conduct a thorough investigation alongside the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. Based on statements made by relatives of Jackson to detectives, his family had reason to believe he may have suffered from chronic alcoholism and concussions, however the exact cause and manner of Mr. Jackson’s death will not be certain until his autopsy, among other reports, is compete.”
While we all await those results, The NY Times reported that Jackson’s family will be donating his brain to researchers at Boston University. They will examine it to see if he had CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy). CTE is the degenerative brain disease connected to repeated head trauma, something that NFL players unfortunately experience.
“Vincent being who he was would have wanted to help as many people as possible,” said Allison Gorrell, a spokeswoman for the Jackson family, in a phone interview with The Times on Wednesday. “It’s something his family wanted to do to get answers to some of their questions.”
CTE and the NFL
CTE is a serious issue facing the NFL and its players.
In 2017, families of 111 former NFL players donated their brains to Boston University School of Medicine and the VA Boston Healthcare System for research. In that study, all but one were diagnosed post-mortem with CTE. That’s 99%. They then expanded the study to examine 202 brains from football players at all levels. Those results were just as alarming as 87% were diagnosed with CTE.
“I think it’s much more common than we currently realize,” said neuropathologist Ann McKee, who has been credited with researching some of the more high-profile CTE cases. “And more importantly, this is a problem in football that we need to address and we need to address now in order to bring some hope and optimism to football players.”
The NFL has been bombarded by accusations of covering up the dangers presented by CTE and mistreatment of players who experience concussions. In 2017 they committed to donating $100 million for concussion-related research, but critics pounced. Some said it wasn’t enough and they need to do more, especially for those no longer playing.
CTE’s effects are pernicious. According to the BU School of Medicine:
“The repeated brain trauma triggers progressive degeneration of the brain tissue, including the build-up of an abnormal protein called tau. These changes in the brain can begin months, years, or even decades after the last brain trauma or end of active athletic involvement. The brain degeneration is associated with common symptoms of CTE including memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, impulse control problems, aggression, depression, suicidality, parkinsonism, and eventually progressive dementia.“
Mike Webster, the Hall of Fame center for the Pittsburgh Steelers, was the first former player diagnosed with CTE after his death. After retiring, he experienced a painful and debilitating decline. He suffered from amnesia, dementia, depression, and fits of anger. Webster died in 2002 at the age of 50 from a heart attack. Junior Seau, Dave Duerson, and Aaron Hernandez were all diagnosed with CTE after their suicides, leaving their families distraught and wondering what could have been done to help their loved ones.
Now Vincent Jackson’s name could be added to the list of victims devastated by CTE.
The three-time Pro Bowler had 540 catches for 9,080 yards and 57 touchdowns in his twelve-year career. Jackson was well-loved and respected by the cities he played in, especially Tampa Bay. He was a businessman and an avid supporter of the community. He helped those in need and established the Jackson in Action 83 Foundation to assist military families. And despite the tensions, he worked with local police officials to improve community relations.
“He would never say no,” said Chronister. “He’s the person you would call and say, ‘Hey, I have something we want to do for a child in need, a family in need, a military member in need,’ and he was always there.”
Vincent Jackson was there, at least physically.
And he was there in that room. Alone and dying inside until he couldn’t take it anymore.
While we await the official cause of death and the eventual diagnosis of his brain, we are all left asking “What went wrong in a life that gave so much both on and off the field?”
Then CTE reminds us that it’s what you don’t see that can leave us all in mourning.
