Ex-NFL player who killed 6 had 'severe' CTE, researchers say

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Published 2021-12-15
Phillip Adams, a former NFL player accused of killing six people in a mass shooting in Rock Hill before taking his own life in early April, showed signs of severe brain damage caused by CTE, a researcher from Boston University said Tuesday.

Dr. Ann McKee, a neuropathologist and expert on neurogenerative diseases at Boston University, said Adams had severe CTE in both frontal lobes of his brain. Dr. Sabrina Gast, the York County coroner, said Adams' family told officials he had complained of excruciating pain, memory issues and difficulty sleeping late in life.

"His 20-year career put him at high risk for development of CTE," McKee, who conducted the study on Adams' brain, said. "It's a progressive disease that worsens with age. In many instances, it is a disease of the young."

Police say Adams shot and killed Robert Lesslie, 70, his wife Barbara Lesslie, 69, and two of their grandchildren, Adah, 9, and Noah, 5, as well as two HVAC workers, James Lewis, 38, and Robert Shook, 38 on April 7 in Rock Hill.

READ MORE: www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/cte-study-rock-hil…
All Comments (19)
  • @laurelvillanueva2596
    Jasen Isom of the 49ers has unconfirmed CTE (because he’s still living, for now) but has the memory loss and time gaps, heart stops randomly, must use oxygen , and now walks with a walker. Not even 50 and the NFL isn’t doing squat about it. 4 kids and a wife and the “BEARCAT BROTHERHOOD” go fund me page is all he has… that is sick, sad, and despicable for a money making league to use players then discard them when they retire. Just sickening…
  • @jcdova29
    According to Roger Goddell playing football is 100% safe and there’s no link between cte and playing football. So on draft day when Roger Goddell gives draftees the Judas hug he is saying thank you for donating your brain.
  • @hemaloid419
    So how many more of these monster sized people going to go off....is that anything to even worry about?
  • @Alex-bw1cq
    So potentially there are some nfl players and college players who might have CTE ?
  • @guymerritt4860
    Some guys takes hits for decades, retire, become sports casters and businessmen....etc. - they're fine. But a certain percentage of people - higher than what I would have guessed - end up with CTE and it's freaking horrible. I was shocked that of 111 brains donated 110 had degrees of CTE. If I were a parent I wouldn't even let my kid play football. There are plenty of other sports where you don't have to deal with this risk. For that matter, if 110 out of 111 brains examined had this pathology it isn't even a "risk" - it's basically a certainty that a player is gonna have some degree of this damage to the brain. That's crazy.
  • @paranormal5-081
    I love how almost all the big sports casters said during Aaron Hernandez’s suicide that tons of NFL players have CTE, that doesn’t make you go out and kill someone. Yet, here’s another example they never brought up acting like Aaron was a one off.
  • @larrylogan9997
    The body isn't made for constant Banging but the NFL pays so well the players put their life on the line
  • @michaeltiller782
    Do yiur job doctors missing it 35 times on me enlargement cc thinng black spots on every lobe do you think me snd my family would be in danger if they caught it sonner tau proteins every lobe butterfliy pattern frontel cortex
  • @mg123rules
    That's the cultures brain in general 😂 if it's common why let them play