Vincent Jackson was found dead in a hotel room back in February and his family felt the debilitating effects of CTE contributed to his death.
Today they say they have proof of that claim as brain researchers made the long-awaited diagnosis.
“Vincent dedicated so much of his life to helping others. Even in his passing, I know he would want to continue that same legacy,” said Lindsey Jackson, Vincent’s widow, in a statement. “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.”
Jackson’s body was found by a hotel housekeeper in Florida, and the Sherriff of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office told reporters that he suffered from chronic alcoholism.
“Unfortunately, he suffered from chronic alcoholism. Again, just tragic,” said Sherriff Chad Chronister at the time. “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.”
Jackson’s family refuted his claim and wanted to wait for the autopsy. But they did note that his behavior had changed so they donated his brain to the Boston University CTE center to be examined.
Now the family has learned that Jackson was suffering from stage 2 CTE.
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