The family of Frank Gifford announced Wednesday that tests revealed the Giants Hall of Famer suffered from CTE, the debilitating brain disease linked to football.
Gifford passed away in August at the age of 84 after a legendary NFL career that he turned into a high-profile television job. The family said in a statement that it was a difficult decision, but one Gifford would have supported.
They added that while Gifford died of natural causes he was concerned that he had CTE toward the end of his life.
“During the last years of his life Frank dedicated himself to understanding the recent revelations concerning the connection between repetitive head trauma and its associated cognitive and behavioral symptoms – which he experienced firsthand,” the statement read in part.