"He went from being one of the nicest guys you'd ever want to talk to, to having a darker edge at times."
Tia Ghose— Live Science
Adrian Robinson Jr., a professional football player who died by suicide earlier this year, had a brain disease, his autopsy recently revealed. The same disorder has also been found in others who have sustained repeated blows to the head.
Robinson, who played for several football teams, including the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Pittsburgh Steelers, died on May 16. During his two years in the National Football League (NFL), he suffered several concussions.
Advertisement
Now, an autopsy revealed that he had signs of a chronic brain diseasecalled chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
"He went from being one of the nicest guys you'd ever want to talk to, to having a darker edge at times," Ben Andreozzi, the lawyer for Robinson's family, told ESPN. "The family started noticing changes in his behavior and didn't know why."
Advertisement
Although the degenerative brain disease that Robinson had has gained increasing visibility in recent years, people may not know exactly what CTE is, or who is at greatest risk of developing the disorder.
Causes of the disease
CTE, which was traditionally associated with boxers, arises after repeated blows to the head cause brain injury. The disease can cause symptoms such as difficulty learning, memory loss, impaired executive function, depression and suicidal thoughts.
Advertisement
In a person with CTE, the brain injuries lead to the release of an abnormal protein known as tau, which gradually builds up in the brain and damages brain cells. Similar proteins are found in the brains of Alzheimer's patients. However, in people with CTE, tau builds up in the troughs of the wrinkly surface of the brain, whereas in people with Alzheimer's, the protein is more evenly spread out, and found in deeper tissue.
Today, the disease is perhaps most closely associated with football players, but recent research suggests that hockey players, wrestlers, soldiers, and even people who participate in lower-impact sports such as soccer and rugby can also develop the disease.
In the last few years, a string of high-profile suicides have called greater attention to the brain disease. In 2011, Dave Duerson, a retired NFL football player, shot himself in the chest, and in his final note to family asked that his brain tissue could be examined for the disease. An autopsy revealed signs of CTE in his brain. Junior Seau, another former NFL star who committed suicide, also had CTE.
A 2012 study in the journal Neurology found that NFL players had four times the risk of dying from Alzheimer's disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also called ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease) compared to the general population. However, the researchers noted, it's possible that CTE was the true cause of death in those players found to have Alzheimer's or ALS. The researchers relied on death certificates, rather than autopsy, so there was no way to know for sure, the authors wrote.
Future research
It's not clear what number of blows to the head might lead to the disease, or how widespread the condition is among high-level athletes in high-impact sports. It's likely that genetics plays some role in the development of CTE, as not everyone who sustains brain trauma shows signs of the disease, the Boston University CTE Center has stated.
Advertisement
Originally, CTE was diagnosed only via autopsy. In 2013, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, used positron emission tomography (PET) scans to reveal the abnormal buildup of tau in the brains of five living NFL players who were ages 45 to 73. The men had all experienced at least one concussion during their careers, and four had been diagnosed with either mild cognitive impairment or dementia.
While the small pilot study couldn't definitely prove that these former players had CTE, it raises hopes that the condition could one day be identified early, before damage becomes extensive, the researchers said.
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.