Former NFL player who killed six people had stage 2 CTE, autopsy finds
CBSN
A coroner said an autopsy shows unusually severe brain disease in the frontal lobe of a former NFL player who authorities say fatally shot six people in Rock Hill, South Carolina, before killing himself in April. The 20 years ex-football pro Phillip Adams spent playing football "definitely ... gave rise" to a diagnosis of stage 2 chronic traumatic encephalopathy, known as CTE, said Dr. Ann McKee, who examined Adams' brain.
Authorities have said that on April 7, Adams killed Rock Hill physician Robert Lesslie; his wife, Barbara; two of their grandchildren, 9-year-old Adah Lesslie and 5-year-old Noah Lesslie; and two HVAC technicians working at the Lesslie home, James Lewis and Robert Shook, both 38. Police later found Adams with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
CTE, a degenerative disease, is linked to head trauma and concussions that has been shown to cause a range of symptoms, including violent mood swings and memory loss.