Giants Hall of Famer Frank Gifford suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, which is a concussion-related brain disease, as well as symptoms from repeated head trauma later in his life, his family announced on Wednesday.
Gifford died of natural causes in August at the age of 84.
His family said they decided to have Gifford's brain studied after his death "in hopes of contributing to the advancement of medical research concerning the link between football and traumatic brain injury," according to the statement they released.
"We decided to disclose our loved one's condition to honor Frank's legacy of promoting player safety dating back to his involvement in the formation of the NFL Players Association in the 1950s," the statement said.