Bleacher Report · May 24, 2016
Bubba Smith, Former NFL All-Pro Star and Actor, Diagnosed with CTE After Death
Researchers with the Department of Veterans Affairs, Boston University and the Concussion Legacy Foundation found that former NFL player and actor Bubba Smith had chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, when he died in 2011, according to a Tuesday report by Ken Belson of the New York Times.
According to Belson, that makes him the "90th former NFL player found to have had CTE by the researchers at the Boston University brain bank; they have examined 94 former pro players."
Smith was found to have Stage 3 CTE, with symptoms including "cognitive impairment" and "problems with judgment and planning." He died in 2011 after overdosing on the weight-loss drug phentermine.
