Marshawn Kneeland, a player for the Dallas Cowboys who died by suicide at age 24 last year, had been suffering from Stage 1 chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), according to researchers at the Boston University CTE Center.
The diagnosis was revealed by Kneeland's family through a statement released by the center. Kneeland died in November after shooting himself in a porta-potty in Plano, Texas, following a police pursuit. The chase began when he failed to stop for a traffic violation in Frisco, Texas.
Dr. Ann McKee, director of the Boston University CTE Center, stated that the CTE diagnosis was not surprising, noting that the disease has been found in nearly half of the athletes studied who died before age 30. She indicated that CTE is a progressive brain disease.
Dr. Chris Nowinski, CEO of the Concussion & CTE Foundation, commented that Kneeland played during an era with improved concussion protocols and helmets, yet still developed CTE. He emphasized that current concussion protocols do not prevent CTE, as the condition is caused by repeated head impacts, not solely concussions. Nowinski added that there is no reason to believe the current generation of athletes is at a lower risk than previous ones. To reduce CTE risk, he advocated for implementing CTE prevention protocols and significantly decreasing the number and intensity of head impacts across all levels of the sport.