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NFL star Demaryius Thomas was diagnosed with chronic traumatic phase 2 encephalopathy, his family said Tuesday in a statement after doctors at Boston University’s CTE Center studied the brain of the former wide receiver .
Thomas was found dead at the age of 33 in December at his home in Roswell, Ga., And although the Fulton County Forensic Office, Georgia, has not determined the cause of death, his family has attributed his death from convulsions, which he suffered. after a car accident in 2019.
Thomas’ diagnosis is associated with “progressive behavior, cognitive and mood abnormalities.” The former NFL star developed depression, anxiety, panic attacks and memory problems the year before he died. Stage 4 CTE, the most severe, is usually associated with dementia.
“Once I realized the CTE and started to become familiar with the symptoms, I realized that Demaryius was isolating himself and I saw other changes in him,” Thomas ’mother, Katina Smith, told the family statement. “He was so young and it was horrible to see him fight. His father and I hope all families learn the risks of playing football. We don’t want other parents to have to lose their children like we did.”
Smith and Bobby Thomas, the father of four-time Pro Bowler, gave their son’s brain to research after the Concussion Legacy Foundation proposed the idea to the family. Ann McKee, a neuropathologist and director of BU’s CTE Center, was part of the research team that studied Thomas ’brain. According to the New York Times, McKee stressed that Thomas had “two different conditions in parallel,” referring to his seizures and the diagnosis of CTE. McKee, whose team has diagnosed more than 300 former NFL players with CTE, said seizures are generally not associated with early-stage CTE.
“Like so many who have gone before, we found the Stage 2 CTE in the brain of Demaryius Thomas,” McKee said. “The question I keep asking myself is, ‘When will that be enough?’ When will athletes, parents, and the general public stop ignoring the risks of American football and insist that the game be changed to reduce subconcussive blows and that athletes be thoroughly evaluated at the beginning and end of each season?
Thomas played for three teams during his 10 seasons in the NFL, but is best known for his nine years with the Denver Broncos, who selected him from Georgia Tech with the 22nd pick in the 2010 draft. He won a Super Bowl. with the Broncos and was later traded to the Houston Texans during the 2018 season. After a brief stint with the New England Patriots the following preseason, Thomas ended his career with the New York Jets and retired in 2021. , six months before his death.
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Athletes in various sports, such as football and hockey, are at risk for brain damage, but Thomas is the latest NFL player to be diagnosed with degenerative brain disease. He has been found in the brains of Hall of Fame members Willie Wood and Junior Seau, as well as Phillip Adams, the former NFL player who last year killed six people in Rock Hill, SC, and was later diagnosed a phase 2 CTE.
Chris Nowinski, a neuroscientist and general manager of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, said Thomas’ diagnosis stands out because he was a recent retiree and several of his former teammates are still in the NFL. He said he hopes news of Thomas ‘death and his parents’ donation will help persuade team owners to implement more substantial safety measures and warn other players who may be experiencing similar symptoms.
“I was very disappointed with the football community’s response to this,” Nowinski said. “People can change. This is a totally preventable disease. For parents considering enrolling their kids on the football team at age 10 this fall, perhaps this may be the case for them to wait until high school to put on their helmets. … Maybe send a message to former players if they have symptoms “.