Former Alabama and NFL fullback Kevin Turner passed away at age 46 earlier this year after a long battle with amyothropic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Turner, who was a lead Plaintiff in the NFL concussion lawsuit, donated his brain and spinal cord to science, and the results of the studies on his brain have proven to be a stunning indicator of the potential.
According to a report from the New York Daily News, Turner had the most advanced state chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) possible, and that the symptoms from the brain damage may have led to Turner's ALS symptoms.
"The severity of Mr. Turner's CTE was extraordinary and unprecedented for an athlete who died in his 40s," said Ann McKee, the director of Boston University's CTE Center. "While he had typical cognitive symptoms and problems with impulse control associated with CTE, it also appears that CTE decimated the motor cortex of his brain at a young age, likely leading to his ALS symptoms."
NYDN notes that McKee was on the same team that established a connection between CTE and ALS back in 2010.
The big thing to take from this report is likely the advanced stage of CTE, of which the researchers involved said was not common for an athlete in his 40s. The report notes that a major factor here may have been Turner's longevity playing football; the fullback only played eight years in the NFL, but he had been playing tackle football since age 5.
"We believed the extreme severity of Kevin Turner's disease is related to his 25-season career and the fact that he began playing tackle football at age 5, while his brain was still rapidly developing and more vulnerable," Boston University professor Robert Cantu said.
Turner had 1,018 rushing yards and 928 receiving yards in his career at Alabama from 1988 to 1991. Turner had 635 rushing yards and 2,015 receiving yards in his NFL career before complications from neck injuries ended his football career.
[H/T SEC Country]
