Demaryius Thomas, who died in December at the age of 33, was posthumously diagnosed with Stage 2 chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease.
Ken Belson of the New York Times reported Tuesday that Boston University doctors believe CTE, which can only be diagnosed with a brain evaluation after death, and seizures resulting from a 2019 car crash both impacted the former NFL wide receiver’s late in his life.
“He had two different conditions in parallel,” Dr. Ann McKee told Belson, adding seizures aren’t typically associated with CTE.
Thomas was found dead in his Roswell, Georgia, home just 15 days before his 34th birthday.
“CTE itself does not cause death. You don’t die from CTE,” McKee told ABC News. “What CTE does is it changes your behavior and your personality.”
Family members say that Thomas also struggled with what has come to be known as common conditions associated with CTE: memory loss, paranoia and other erratic behavior, especially in the last year before he died.
“His mood would change, and he would also isolate himself sometimes,” Thomas’ mother, Katina Stuckey Smith, told ABC News. “He was, like, ‘Mom, I don’t know what’s going on with my body. You know, I gotta get myself together,’ and he said, ‘I don’t feel like myself anymore.'”
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The first-round pick in 2010 out of Georgia Tech played 10 seasons in the NFL. He spent 8½ seasons with the Denver Broncos.
He finished his career with 724 catches for 9,763 yards and 63 touchdowns.
