American NFL linebacker, one of the greats, 1969–2012
NFL star Aldon Smith has died after delivering pizzas for a homeless charity in the San Francisco Bay Area. Attorneys say his brain will be examined for CTE as part of ongoing family-initiated investigations into the death.
Researchers have examined brains from 235 former NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 and have confirmed chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in 215. Including all 878 players who died in that period, the team has calculated a conservative minimum prevalence of CTE of 24.5% at death and urged prevention to cut repetitive head impacts.