Head injuries endanger football players

NEW YORK, June 15 (UPI) -- U.S. football players who suffer persistent head trauma may be subject to a kind of brain damage condition generally seen only in boxers or people in their 80s.

The condition, known as chronic traumatic encephalopathy, was discovered postmortem in former Pittsburgh Steelers lineman Justin Strzelczyk who died in a car accident at the age of 36, The New York Times reports.

Strzelczyk is the fourth football player to be diagnosed with CTE, which causes memory loss, depression and eventually dementia.

Dr. Ronald Hamilton of the University of Pittsburgh, who confirmed the brain autopsy findings, said if he didn't know anything about the case he would have asked if the patient was a boxer, the Times report said.

The subject of CTE may come up in Chicago next Tuesday when officials of the National Football League and medical personnel have a conference on concussion management.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said the league had no comment on the Strzelczyk findings.