Duerson died of self-inflicted gunshot
MIAMI, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Former Chicago Bears defensive back Dave Duerson died of a self-inflicted shotgun wound, the Miami-Dade County Medical Examiner said Sunday.
In a text message to loved ones before his suicide Thursday, Duerson requested his brain be studied for NFL research on chronic traumatic encephalopathy, emphasizing examination of the "left side," NBC-TV, Chicago, reported.
Chris Nowinski, co-director of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Encephalopathy at Boston University School of Medicine, received a call from a Duerson family friend Thursday and arranged for Duerson's brain to be prepped and sent to Boston for research.
Nowinski will determine within six months if Duerson suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a progressive degenerative disease found in pro athletes and others subjected to multiple concussions and other head injuries. Symptoms can include memory loss, aggression, confusion and depression.
"NFL players are at high risk for CTE," Nowinski said, adding 13 of the first 14 NFL brains studied at the center were diseased with CTE.
Nowinski met Duerson in 1996 when the former Bear presented Nowinsky, a prep football player at Hersey High School in suburban Chicago, with a National Football Foundation scholarship.
"His family can be rest assured that it was an incredible selfless contribution to medical research," Nowinski said.
Duerson played on two Super Bowl champion teams: the 1985 Bears and the 1990 New York Giants.
F1's Ecclestone weighing Bahrain race move
LONDON, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Formula One chief executive Bernie Ecclestone says next month's season-opening grand prix in Bahrain is uncertain with civil unrest in the Persian Gulf kingdom.
Ecclestone told The Scotsman Saturday he is monitoring events in Manama and will continue to do so before making a definite decision on whether the March 11-13 Bahrain Grand Prix will go on as scheduled.
"From a realistic point of view it appears that things are changing hourly," Ecclestone said. "I feel the most important thing now is to wait until after the weekend, to see what happens over the next few days, and then make a decision next Tuesday or Wednesday."
The F1 chief said prospects for the event were "more hopeful" Friday, a day after police had stormed a camp of demonstrators in Manama, killing four and injuring hundreds.
The Scotsman said F1 officials have inquired to see if Barcelona's Circuit de Catalunya would be available to host a relocated Bahrain Grand Prix.
IOC: S. Korea Games bid shows progress
PYEONGCHANG, South Korea, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- South Korea's 2018 Winter Olympics bid is a step above earlier efforts to bring the Games to PyeongChang, an official evaluation team said Saturday.
The 14-member International Olympic Committee finished a weeklong visit to South Korea with an inspection of the alpine town bidding for the Games, the South Korean Yonhap News Agency reported.
The committee's chairwoman, Gunilla Lindberg, told reporters, "We have seen great progress in the bid from the two previous bids. We have also seen progress in Korean winter sports during the last four years (since PyeongChang's last bid)."
PyeongChang, located about 110 miles east of Seoul, lost out to Vancouver, Canada, and Sochi, Russia, in the last two competitions for the Winter Games, and this year faces competition from Munich, Germany, and Annecy, France.
Cho Yang-ho, chairman of the Hanjin Group shipping conglomerate and head of PyeongChang's bidding committee, told Yonhap he was grateful for the chance to make the bid but warned against premature optimism.
"A successful inspection doesn't always lead to a successful bid," he said.
Girl, 17, repeats affair claim with agent
MELBOURNE, Feb. 19 (UPI) -- A 17-year-old girl Saturday repeated allegations she had a monthlong affair with sports agent and former Australian Football League player Ricky Nixon.
The unnamed Victoria girl told The Sydney Morning Herald she had sex with Nixon, repeating an assertion she made Friday to the (Melbourne) Herald Sun.
Asked by the Sun if she had had an affair with Nixon, she said, "Yes. This might sound stupid but I didn't know he was married."
Nixon, however, has denied the two had sex, although he admitted to "inappropriate dealings" with the teenager, including bringing alcohol to her hotel room.
"In hindsight my dealings with this girl were inappropriate and I regret them," Nixon, 47, said. "I won't be seeing her again."
The Sun said the girl was also involved in an episode last year in which nude and seminude photos of St. Kilda Saints footballers were posted onto the team's Facebook site.
Nixon, a former St. Kilda player, has current team captain Nick Riewoldt as his star client. Riewoldt was among those pictured in the photos.
The girl told the Morning Herald Saturday Nixon had verbally abused her over the phone after the first story appeared.
