Tuesday, May 31, 2011

New details in death of Dave Duerson


Dave Duerson's wife and family are learning more about what the root cause of his suicide The former Chicago Bear committed suicide in February, leaving behind directions that his brain be donated to Boston University for research purposes. USAToday just released new details on Duerson's death.

Doctors believe that Duerson suffered from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), a brain disorder that causes depression and impaired reasoning. His CTE was most likely caused by repeated concussions during his football career.

"The first thing (doctors) noticed was how small his brain was. Dave was a big man.
His brain had started dying 10 years ago."
(Duerson's wife Alicia)


LINKS:
The New York Times looks at CTE and Dave Duerson.

HEAD GAMES: Sports Illustrated looks at the other side of CTE - is it casting an unrealistic shadow over the lives of current athletes? Was it really the root cause of Duerson's depression?