Frank Gifford suffered from brain trauma disease

The family of late American football legend-turned-broadcaster Frank Gifford has chosen to donate his brain to researchers after revealing he suffered from concussion-related trauma.
The New York Giants icon and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee died suddenly at his Connecticut home in August (15), at the age of 84.
His relatives, including his widow, singer and U.S. TV personality Kathie Lee Gifford, have now announced he suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a condition which can cause memory loss, depression and dementia, which he likely developed during his years on the football field.
A statement released by the Giffords on Wednesday (25Nov15) reads: “After losing our beloved husband and father, Frank Gifford, we as a family made the difficult decision to have his brain studied in hopes of contributing to the advancement of medical research concerning the link between football and traumatic brain injury.
“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…
“We miss him every day, now more than ever, but find comfort in knowing that by disclosing his condition we might contribute positively to the ongoing conversation that needs to be had; that he might be an inspiration for others suffering with this disease that needs to be addressed in the present; and that we might be a small part of the solution to an urgent problem concerning anyone involved with football, at any level.”
The news of Gifford’s diagnosis is timely as it coincides with the upcoming release of Will Smith’s football drama Concussion, in which the Ali actor portrays real-life medic Dr. Bennet Omalu, the forensic neuropathologist who became the first person to delve into the repercussions of CTE in U.S. football players.
Smith recently admitted he “did everything” he could not to make the film due to his love of the Philadelphia Eagles football team and his own son’s participation in the sport, but he soon realised the movie’s main focus is the human condition.
“For me, at that point it became a story about a man trying to deliver the truth,” he told U.S. news show Entertainment Tonight. “It’s not a story about football.”