Former NFL star Demaryius Thomas had Stage-2 CTE when he died, say parents

Former NFL Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas was suffering from stage-2 chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), his parents revealed on Tuesday. According to a press release by the Concussion Legacy Foundation, Katina Stuckey Smith and Bobby Thomas, Demaryius’s parents, have confirmed that their son was suffering from CTE.

They said that a brain diagnosis conducted by the Boston University CTE Center after his death confirmed that Demaryius was suffering from stage-2 (of 4) CTE. The 33-year-old wide receiver died on December 9, 2021, two weeks before his 34th birthday. The star football player was found dead in his home in Roswell, Georgia. At the time, Demaryius’s death was attributed to a cardiac arrest due to a seizure disorder that compelled the wide receiver to retire in June 2021.

According to Dr. Ann McKee, a neurology and pathology expert at the Boston University CTE Center, CTE doesn’t cause death, but it changes behavior and personality. She added that the medical condition is caused due to repeated head traumas causing the brain to degenerate. Dr McKee further added that CTE has been detected in many football players and athletes from other contact sports. She further said that CTE can be diagnosed only through autopsy by studying various regions of the brain.


Dr. McKee also said, "We found what we've seen in so many other players under the age of 34. On the basis of multiple lesions in the frontal lobes and temporal lobe are beginning degeneration of deeper areas of the brain. He was diagnosed with CTE, stage two.”

Thomas’s parents said that he suffered through several CTE symptoms before his death, including paranoia, frequent and severe headaches, loss of memory, etc. They also said that Thomas would isolate himself at times and would suffer from frequent mood swings. His mother said that Thomas would often say that he was not feeling like himself anymore and that he needed to get himself together.