CHICAGO (AP) — The family of former Bears safety Dave Duerson has agreed to donate his brain for research into chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a condition linked to athletes who have sustained repeated concussions.
Chris Nowinski at the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy at Boston University School of Medicine told the AP Saturday that he was contacted by the NFL Players Association and then a representative of Duerson’s family.
Duerson died Thursday in Sunny Isles Beach, Fla.
The Chicago Tribune, citing an unidentified person with knowledge of the situation, reported on its website that he died of a self-inflicted gunshot to the chest and that his death has been ruled a suicide.
Dr. Bruce Hyma, the chief medical examiner for Miami-Dade County, declined to comment on the case Saturday.
