Former NFL Player Phillip Adams, Who Killed Himself After Fatally Shooting 6, Diagnosed with CTE
Former NFL player Phillip Adams was diagnosed with a disease called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy or CTE after he shot six people before killing himself in South Carolina in April.
The disease was confirmed and announced by the doctor who conducted the brain study on Tuesday, from Boston University CTE Center, USA Today Sports reported.
CNN noted that Dr. Ann McKee announced Adams' diagnosis during a news conference, saying that the NFL player had an extraordinary amount of CTE, also known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, in both frontal lobes of his brain.
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy or CTE is a brain degeneration caused by repeated head traumas. The said condition is only diagnosed at autopsy after studying brain sections.
The said condition is found among the brains of football players and other contact sports. To date, there is still a cure for CTE, but experts are developing diagnostic biomarkers. However, none of the diagnostic biomarkers have been validated yet.
Former NFL Player Phillip Adams Had Stage 2 CTE: Expert Says
According to McKee, the NFL player has stage two CTE, noting that stage 4 of the said condition was the most severe.
The expert added that Adams' pathology was similar to that of another former NFL player, Aaron Hernandez, who died of suicide while he was in prison for murder. McKee furthered that Hernandez was diagnosed with stage 3 CTE, which is associated with cognitive and memory loss. The said stage is also associated with behavioral changes and impaired judgment.
Dr. McKee also noted that it was "difficult to say" the violence Adams showed in April might have been the result of having CTE alone.
"It's difficult to say that it [CTE] alone resulted in these behaviors because usually, it's a complicated issue with many other factors," McKee pointed out.
Meanwhile, a toxicology analysis of the former NFL player revealed amphetamines Kratom, but a coroner claimed that she did not know how the drugs affected Phillip Adams' behavior.
It can be recalled that Adams shot two air conditioner technicians outside the home of Dr. Robert Leslie in Rock Hill on April 7. Reports noted that the former NFL player forced his way into the home of the doctor, where his wife and two grandchildren were killed. The prominent doctors were also shot at the scene. Adams then died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Former NFL Player's Sister Says Phillip Adams 'Was Not a Monster'
In a statement, Adams' family said they were not surprised by the player's diagnosis. Rather, they were surprised at how severe his condition was.
The family said they were "pleased" that they had a better understanding of the "mental turmoil" that the athlete was dealing with.
Despite the killing of six people, Adams' sister, Lauren, said that his brother was not a "monster," but he was "struggling with mental health." The sister furthered that the athlete "desperately" sought help from the NFL, but the family claimed that the league denied all claims due to his inability to remember things and to handle simple tasks.
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Written By: Joshua Summers
WATCH: Officials Announce Former NFL Player Phillip Adams Had CTE At Time Of SC Shooting - From NBC News