CTE diagnosis in McNeill could be momentous

Former Minnesota Vikings linebacker Fred McNeill had CTE, the degenerative brain disease chronic traumatic encephalopathy, at the time of his death.

The announcement, which came Thursday, is a potentially significant milestone, according to researchers connected with a UCLA study that identified signs of CTE in McNeill while he was still alive.

One of the researchers, Dr. Bennet Omalu, told Outside the Lines this is the first time such a correlation between UCLA's experimental testing and a posthumous examination has been seen. McNeill is the first ex-NFL player in the study to have died.

Of the 14 former players in the study -- a group that includes Hall of Famers Tony Dorsett and Joe…